***** 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 12. /?. '^r 
 
 * 
 
 Purchased by the Hammill Missionary 
 
 Fund. 
 
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 Division mimtf. ". ....S--r. 
 
 
 Section •. .W-W... 
 
 
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AFRICA: 
 GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATION 
 
 AND 
 
 CHRISTIAN ENTERPRISE. 
 
AFRICA: 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATION 
 
 CHRISTIAN ENTERPRISE 
 
 BY , 
 
 A. GKUAE^OKBES, 
 
 AUTHOR 6F " PIONEERS OP THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN MANY LANDS . 
 " ASIA : ITS EMPIRES, CITIES, ANP BELIEFS ;" 
 ETC. ETC. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, LOW, AND SEAELE^ 
 
 CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET. 
 
 1874. 
 
 [All Rights liescrved.] 
 
LONDON . 
 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS 
 STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 During the last thirty years, especially, there has been 
 much interest felt in Africa and its people. Many 
 travellers have explored it, and, actuated by a strong 
 and benevolent concern to help and benefit races which 
 have lived in darkness and under oppression and fear, 
 many have made great sacrifices and engaged in ardu- 
 ous undertakings which, in regard to this Continent, 
 were formerly unknown. 
 
 Our acquaintance with its geography and its popu- 
 lation has greatly grown upon us, and it continues to 
 grow. Perhaps no portion of the world has been made 
 the subject of so many books in so short a time, and 
 the number still multiplies. It is not possible, with 
 ordinary leisure, to read them all. And yet one 
 desires to have a distinct and definite conception of 
 what has been accomplished, and of what is being 
 attempted in the way of discovery and for the spread 
 of the blessings of civilisation and religion. If in one 
 book one could be assisted to such a conception, the 
 advantage, especially in the busy time we live in, 
 would not be small. To do this is the attempt of the 
 following pages. 
 
vi 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 A general view of Africa has been deemed important, 
 in order to the obtaining of fair impressions in respect 
 to the work of individnal travellers; imd when detailed 
 accounts of separate journeys are given, the reports of 
 those who performed them have been carefully con- 
 sulted without partiality or unjust bias. The personal 
 adventures and experiences of individuals are not 
 professed to be fully given. For these their own books 
 must be read, which it is hoped they will be by those 
 who have the opportunity. The present work will 
 realise its purpose if it enable the reader to justly 
 estimate the noble work of noble men, of whom their 
 fellow-men may be honestly proud as of those who have 
 gone into the midst of a mass of needy humanity, and 
 returned to tell what they found, or who have stayed 
 behind to perform their life's work among the degraded 
 and the perishing. 
 
 The way will thus be prepared, moreover, for a more 
 intelligent perusal of those accounts of travel and work 
 in Africa which we may expect to be forthcoming in 
 the approaching future. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 I'AGK 
 
 TopoGiiAPniCAL, General, and Introductory . . 1 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Christian Missions in Africa 48 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Notices of former African Travellers ... 59 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Recent African Explorations ..... 74 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 The Cape Colony, Kaffreland, and Griqualand . 84 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Madagascar 99 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 Moffat and the Kuruman 110 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Barth, Overweg, and Eiciiardson— Ashantee . . 131 
 
viii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 'IX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Livingstone . 168 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Livingstone — Continued ...... 193 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Burton and Speke 239 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Speke and Grant 264 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Sir Samuel and Lady Baker 286 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Livingstone 346 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Stanley and Livingstone — Death of Livingstone . 381 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Sir Bartle Frere and his Mission .... 413 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SCHWEINFURTH ........ 423 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Conclusion . ....... 429 
 
AFEIG A. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 TOPOGRAPHICAL, GENERAL, AND INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Our knowledge of this great continent is very limited. 
 The Phoenicians are known to have formed colonies on 
 the northern coast of Africa at a very early period, per- 
 haps not less than three thousand years ago. The 
 conquest of Cambyses dates as far back as the year 
 B.C. 525. Therefore, at that time, the coasts of Egypt, 
 of the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean were settled, 
 and were well-known to the ancient Asiatics, who were 
 constantly crossing the narrow isthmus which divided 
 their country from Africa, and which led them at once 
 from parched deserts into a fertile valley, watered by 
 a magnificent river. Herodotus tells us that Necho, 
 King of Egypt, sent out an expedition under the com- 
 mand of certain Phoenician seamen, with the design of 
 their circumnavigating Africa. If these explorers ever 
 accomplished their purpose, the result is not known. 
 Half a century afterwards there was another expedition, 
 of which we know only the fact of its existence. Dis- 
 covery there was none. 
 
 Delisle, Huet, and Bochart, extended the knowledge 
 
 B 
 
2 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 of the country as far south as Mozambique and 
 Madagascar. But even these were disputed, and un- 
 acknowledged as discoveries. The Ptolemies were the 
 great patrons of science and discovery in their time ; 
 but, notwithstanding this fact, there was but little pro- 
 gress made, under their direction, in the knowledge of 
 Africa. The Komans, who subsequently possessed 
 Egypt, did not penetrate beyond their own dependencies. 
 We have no means of judging as to the knowledge of 
 Interior Africa which was obtained by the Carthaginians. 
 Their merchants, it is said, had reached the banks of 
 the Niger ; but there is no evidence to show that they 
 had ever gone so far. 
 
 In respect to the interior of Northern Africa, our 
 first information is obtained from the Arabs, who, by 
 means of the camel, were enabled to cross the great 
 desert to the centre of the continent, and to proceed 
 along the two coasts as far as the Senegal and the 
 Gambia on the west, and to Sofala on the east. Here 
 the Arabs, at a remote date, planted colonies at Sofala, 
 Mombas, Melinda, and at other places. 
 
 In the fifteenth century there was a new era in mari- 
 time discovery. The voyages of the Portuguese were the 
 first to give anything like an accurate outline of the 
 two coasts, and to complete the circumnavigation of 
 the continent. The discovery of America and the 
 islands of the West Indies gave rise to that horrid 
 traffic in the sale of African negroes which has continued 
 for so many years, and which, though now happily 
 reduced in its main demands, is not yet quite at an 
 end. Butthis traffic, nefarious as it is in every respect, 
 was the means of obtaining a more extended and 
 
INTRODUCTOKY. 
 
 3 
 
 accurate knowledge of the coast as it lies between the 
 Rivers Senegal and the Cameroons. With the obtaining 
 of French and English settlements in Africa, there 
 began systematic surveys of the coast and of the in- 
 terior. 
 
 Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort thus sums up the 
 surveys of the coast of Africa, reaching to the date of 
 1848: '^From the Strait of Gibraltar, the western 
 coast of Africa has been carefully surveyed, and the 
 results published so far as to extend to Cape Formosa 
 in the Bight of Benin; but many of the ports and 
 anchorages on this side of the Cape of Good Hope 
 require a more careful and connected examination. 
 The charts of the whole of the Cape Colony are ex- 
 ceedingly defective, although they have been much im- 
 proved in recent years. From Delagoa to the Eed Sea, 
 and the whole contour of Madagascar, are sufficiently 
 represented on the charts for the general purposes of 
 navigation, though many other researches along the 
 former coast might still be profitably made. The Red 
 Sea has been well surveyed by the East India Company." 
 The northern shore of Africa, with the exception of 
 Egypt, has been surveyed by the English and French. 
 
 Much uncertainty and confusion having obtained 
 in regard to the geography of the interior of Africa, 
 a few learned and scientific gentlemen formed them- 
 selves into a society in 1788, imder the name of 
 " The African Association," their design being the ex- 
 ploration of Inner Africa. Under the auspices of this 
 Association, important additions were made to the 
 geography of Africa by Houghton, Mungo Park, 
 Hornemann, and Burckhardt. But repeated failures 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 discouraged the Society, and it was merged in the 
 Eoyal Geographical Society in 1831. 
 
 Much more has been done during the last eighty 
 years to make us acquainted with the geography of 
 Africa than had been accomplished in the preceding 
 eighteen centuries, or since the days of Ptolemy. 
 Strictly speaking, it was with Mungo Park that vigorous 
 efforts to explore the interior of Africa began. He 
 went, in 1795, from the River Gambia, on the south-west 
 coast, to the Joliba (or Niger), traced this river as far 
 as the town of Silla, explored the intervening countries, 
 determined the boundary of the Sahara, and returned 
 in 1797. He was a most adventurous traveller, and 
 proceeded on a second journey to the same regions 
 in 1805, with the design of descending the Joliba to its 
 mouth. But this expedition did not greatly add to 
 previous knowledge, and it cost the traveller his life. 
 He had passed Timbuktu, and had reached Boussa, 
 where he was killed by the natives. 
 
 In 1799 Hornemann went from Cairo to Murzuk, 
 and from that place transmitted valuable information 
 in regard to the countries lying to the south, especially 
 Bornu. He then proceeded still farther in the same 
 direction ; but it is supposed that he soon afterwards 
 perished, as no accounts of his subsequent progress 
 ever reached Europe. An expedition was sent out by 
 the English Government under the command of Captain 
 Tuckey in 1816. The destination intended was the 
 River Congo, which, at that time, was supposed to be 
 the lower course of the Joliba. But the undertaking 
 was the reverse of prosperous. It ascended the river 
 only two hundred and eighty miles, and obtained but 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 little information. Lyon and Kitchie went from Tripoli 
 to Murzuk in 1819. In 1822 Denham, Clapperton, 
 and Oudney started from Tripoli in the same direction, 
 crossed the Great Desert, and, on the 4th of February, 
 1823, reached the great Lake Tsad. They explored the 
 surrounding countries as far as Sakatu on the west, and 
 Mandara on the south. Their journey was most suc- 
 cessful and important. Oudney died in Bornu. Clap- 
 perton undertook a second journey from the coast of 
 Guinea, crossed the Kawara, and reached Sakatu, at 
 which place he died. Eichard Lander, his servant, 
 returned to England after having explored a portion 
 of the surrounding country. Major Laing afterwards 
 succeeded in reaching Timbuktu from Tripoli, but was 
 murdered in the desert on his return. In 1827-28 
 Caille went from Kio Nunez on the western coast, and 
 reached Timbuktu, returning through the Great Desert 
 to Marocco. In 1830 Eichard Lander and his brother 
 succeeded in tracing the termination of the Joliba, or 
 Niger, following its course from Yaouri down to its 
 mouth. In 1832 they embarked on a second expe- 
 dition, with the design of ascending the same stream as 
 far as Timbuktu ; but they reached Eabba only, and 
 the general results of their enterprise were most disas- 
 trous. Another great Niger expedition was fitted out 
 by the government in 1841. It consisted of three 
 steamers, and was placed under the command of 
 Captain Trotter. But it proved a failure, and resulted 
 in a melancholy loss of life. Mr. Duncan, one of the 
 survivors, made some additions to our geographical 
 knowledge by his journey to Adafoodia in 1845-46. 
 He was an enterprising traveller, and met an untimely 
 
6 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 death in a second attempt, in the same region, for the 
 purpose of reaching Timbuktu. 
 
 These journeys had been principally restricted to 
 the northern and western portions of the continent. A 
 much larger number of travellers had explored the 
 regions drained by the Nile, the salubrity of which, 
 especially in Abyssinia, is so much greater than 
 western Africa — so much, indeed, is it so, that among 
 the many explorers of the former, a very small propor- 
 tion have died as compared with the great loss of life 
 in western Africa. Among the most distinguished of 
 the East African travellers are Bruce, Brown (who 
 reached Darfur), Burckhardt, Caillaud, Kiippell, Rus- 
 segger, Beke, and the Egyptian expeditions up the Nile. 
 
 The Dutch founded a settlement in South Africa as 
 early as 1650 ; but not much information respecting 
 the interior of that part of the continent was obtained 
 till the end of the following century, when a series of 
 journeys was commenced by Sparrmann, and followed 
 up by Yaillant, Barrow, Trotter, Somerville, Lichen- 
 stein, Burchell, Campbell, Thomson, Alexander, and 
 Harris. 
 
 In the early part of the present century many, in 
 this country, manifested a deep interest in the various 
 parts of Inner Africa ; and, since that date, important 
 discoveries have been made which have partly lifted 
 the veil which had hitherto enveloped this part of the 
 world in apparently impenetrable mystery. 
 
 The Church Missionary Society established a mission 
 at Mombas, in about 4° S. lat, on the east coast 
 of Africa, and to this station they appointed Messrs. 
 Krapf and Eedmann. From 1847, these gentlemen 
 
 / 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 7 
 
 long continued to explore the interior from that 
 direction. At several hundred miles from the coast 
 they discovered high mountains covered with per- 
 petual snow. This fact is the more remarkable on 
 account of the nearness of these mountains to the 
 equator. The existence of snow on the mountains of 
 Kilimanjaro and Kenia has been disputed with but 
 little reason. These two remarkable peaks, to judge 
 from the description of the missionaries, seem to be 
 isolated cones, rising out of regions comparatively little 
 elevated, and surrounded by plains in the same way as 
 Mount Ararat, Mount Hermon, or the Sierra Nevada 
 de Santa Martha in the equatorial regions of South 
 America. 
 
 Missionaries have been the pioneers of geographical 
 discovery also in South Africa. Kolobeng (in lat. 24° 40' 
 S., long. 25° 55' E.) is a far inland station, and, at 
 the time of his appointment to it, David Livingstone 
 was much nearer to the Kalahari Desert than was any 
 one of his fellow-labourers. On the 1st of June, 1849, 
 Mr. Livingstone the missionary, accompanied by Messrs. 
 Oswell and Murray, started on their journey from 
 Kolobeng, with the design of reaching a lake which 
 had long been reported to exist in the interior. In 
 the subsequent pages we shall furnish particulars of 
 their journey, and the results of it, as well as of sub- 
 sequent explorations, either by these or other travellers, 
 as they have become known to us, but the details of 
 which would be unsuitable here, in this introductory 
 summary. Livingstone, Oswell, and Murray, after 
 having travelled three hundred miles through the 
 Kalahari Desert, came upon a fine river, the Zouga, 
 
8 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 whicli issues from the lake of which they were in search. 
 They followed it upwards of three hundred miles, when 
 they reached the eastern extremity of the lake, the 
 chief name of which is Ngami, and which has an eleva- 
 tion of two thousand eight hundred and twenty-five 
 feet above the level of the sea. In 1851, Livingstone 
 and Oswell started again for the north, but, on this 
 occasion, took a course more easterly. They reached 
 the latitude of 17° 25' S., and discovered the Chobe and 
 Sesheke, deep and constantly flowing rivers, supposed by 
 them at the time to be the feeders of the Zambesi. 
 The Zouga they believed to be absorbed in sands and 
 salt-pans. 
 
 Captain Vardon explored the region of country to 
 the north-east of Kolobeng, tracing the Kiver Limpopo 
 to a considerable distance. Gassiot made an interesting 
 journey, in 1851, from Port Natal north-west, through 
 the mountains, keeping along their western slope, and 
 ultimately reaching Limpopo. In the course of the 
 same year, Mr. Galton explored a part of South Africa 
 from Walfisch Bay, on the west coast, extending from 
 that point as far as 17° 58' S. lat. in the north, and to 
 21° E. long, in the east, and inhabited by the Damara 
 and Ovampo. There were not many interesting par- 
 ticulars noted ; but the whole region was accurately 
 determined, and by this means the journey claims to 
 rank as one of great importance. 
 
 In 1852, a journey was made by Mr. Plant of Natal, 
 from that place to Delagoa Bay, in which he discovered 
 that St. Lucia Bay leads into an extensive inlet 
 previously unknown. 
 
 To the north of the equator, the mission to Lake 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 9 
 
 Tsad originated with Mr. James Kicliardsoii. He left 
 England in 1849, for the purpose of concluding com- 
 merciai treaties with the chiefs of Northern Africa, as 
 far as Lake Tsad, by means of which the legitimate 
 trade with those countries might be extended, and 
 slavery abolished. Upon the proposal of Mr. Peter- 
 mann. Dr. Earth and Mr. Overweg accompanied Mr. 
 
 * Eichardson, for the purpose of making scientific obser- 
 vations. The particulars in respect to this expedition 
 we shall note in future pages. It will be sufficient 
 here to observe that these three gentlemen started from 
 Tripoli on the 23rd of March, 1850, after having 
 minutely surveyed the mountainous region to the south 
 of that place. During the first year, the travellers 
 successfully crossed the whole of the Sahara, in a very 
 circuitous and westerly direction, and thus explored 
 
 ■ a great portion of Northern Africa, which had never 
 before been visited by any European. Their route 
 from Ghat to Kano, in particular, led them through the 
 powerful kingdom of Air or Asben, and was highly 
 interesting. In the second year, the travellers explored 
 a large portion of Sudan, in different directions, for 
 which purpose they separated on their arrival at the 
 northern frontiers of that country, pursuing different 
 routes, it being their purpose to meet at Kuka, the 
 capital of Bornu. Barth and Overweg reached that 
 place in safety, but Kichardson died on the way, within 
 six days' journey of it, in March 1851. The other 
 travellers, nothing daunted, continued their explora- 
 tions, Barth penetrating three hundred and fifty miles 
 to the south, as far as Yola, the capital of the kingdom 
 of Adamaua; and Overweg navigating Lake Tsad in a 
 
10 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 boat, which, with great labour, had been conveyed in 
 pieces, on the backs of camels, from Tripoli, across the 
 burning sands of the Sahara. In September 1851, the 
 travellers set out together on a journey to Borgu, a 
 mountainous country lying to the north-east of Lake 
 Tsad, about midway between it and Egypt. They 
 travelled under the protection of a large army of the 
 Sheikh of Bornu, which, however, was attacked at no 
 great distance beyond Lake Tsad, and put to flight so 
 suddenly, that Earth and Overweg saved their lives 
 and instruments only by a quick retreat. Having 
 returned to Kuka, they set out southwards with a large 
 escort as before, and, on this occasion, they explored 
 the country a considerable distance beyond Mandara, 
 the farthest point of Denham's journey, and found the 
 districts through which they passed remarkable for 
 their fertility. With the beginning of the third year 
 of their explorations, Barth made a journey to Masena, 
 the capital of the kingdom of Baghermi, to the south- 
 east of Lake Tsad, while Overweg, travelling in a 
 south-westerly direction, reached within one hundred and 
 fifty miles of Yacoba, the great town of the Fellatahs 
 And this was his last journey. On his return he was 
 seized with fever at Kuka, and, after a short and 
 severe illness, died, the second victim in that expedition, 
 in September 1852. Dr. Barth was just about to start for 
 Timbuktu, and a reinforcement, consisting of Dr. Vogel 
 and two soldiers, a sapper and a miner, were despatched 
 to his assistance. The details of his travels, and those of 
 others who have succeeded him, in African exploration, 
 we shall, to avoid repetition, give in the sequel. 
 
 The name of this great Continent has been the 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 11 
 
 subject of discussion among philologists and antiqua- 
 rians. The Greeks called it Libya, Al^vt), and the 
 Romans Africa. Varro believed he had found the 
 etymology in Lihs, the Greek name of the south wind, 
 and Servius proposed to derive the Roman name from 
 the Latin word aprica (sunny), or the Greek word a- 
 ]plirihe (without cold). The probability is that the name 
 Libya was derived by the Greeks from the name of the 
 people whom they found in possession of the country to 
 the westward of Egypt, and who are believed to have 
 been those that are called in the Hebrew Scriptures 
 Lehabim or Luhim. Suidas informs us that Africa was 
 the proper name of that great city which the Romans 
 called Carthago, and the Greeks Karchedon. There is 
 no room, at all events, for doubt that this was the 
 name applied originally to the country in the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood of Carthage, which was the part of 
 the continent first known to the Romans, and that it 
 was subsequently extended, as their knowledge in- 
 creased, so as to include the whole continent. As to 
 the meaning of the name, the language of Carthage 
 supplies a simple and natural explanation — the word 
 Afrygah meaning in that tongue a separate establish- 
 ment, or, in other words a colony, as Carthage was 
 of Tyre ; so that the ancient Phoenicians, at home, 
 may have spoken of their Afrygah, just as we speak of 
 our colonies. The native Arabs of the present day still 
 give the name of Afrygah or Afrikiyah to the terri- 
 tory of Tunis. The name does not seem to have been 
 used by the Romans till after the first Punic war, at 
 which time they became acquainted with what they 
 afterwards called Africa Propria, 
 
12 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Africa lies between the latitudes of 38° N. and 35° S., 
 and is of all tlie continents the most tropical. Strictly 
 speaking, it is, naturally, an enormous peninsula, 
 attached to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez. The most 
 northern point is the Cape, situated a little to the west 
 of Capo Blanco, and opposite Sicily, which is in lat. 
 37° 20' 40" N., long. 9° 41' E. Its most southerly point is 
 Cabo d'Agulhas, in 34° 49' 15" S. ; the distance between 
 these two points being four thousand three hundred and 
 thirty geographical, or about five thousand English 
 miles. The most westerly point is Cabo Yerde, in 
 long. 51° 21' E., Jat. 10° 25' N., the distance between 
 the two points being about the same as its length. 
 The Atlantic washes the western coasts, the Mediter- 
 ranean the northern, and the Indian Ocean the eastern. 
 It is difficult to estimate the superficial extent of such 
 a country as Africa ; but it has been taken at eight 
 million five hundred and fifty thousand geographical 
 square miles, exclusive of the islands. It is larger than 
 Europe or Australia, but smaller than the Asian and 
 American continents. The coast line is very regular 
 and unbroken, and there are not many bays or pen- 
 insulas. The principal inlet is the Gulf of Guinea, with 
 its secondary divisions, the Bight of Benin and the Bight 
 of Biafra. On the northern coast are the Gulf of Sidra 
 and the Gulf of Kabes, and on the eastern the Gulf of 
 Arabia. 
 
 V. In regard to physical form, Africa consists of the 
 great plain, the table-lands, and the mountain ranges 
 and groups of the central and southern division. The 
 plain includes the Sahara, the region of Lake Tsad, and 
 the valley of the Lower I^ile. The Sahara is not a 
 
INTEODUCTORY. 
 
 13 
 
 plain in its whole extent, but for the greater part it 
 rises into table-lands, with mountain groups, in some 
 instances of more than six thousand feet elevation. 
 The designation, plain, seems merely to be a general 
 term of distinction by which this part of the country is 
 separated from the more elevated region to the south. 
 The Sahara is not a monotonous expanse of sand ; on 
 the contrary, there is great variety in its conformation 
 and character. This great desert is fringed on the 
 north with far extending table-lands, which in some 
 places rise abruptly from the Mediterranean to the 
 height of one thousand five hundred feet, and then 
 gradually descend to the Delta of the Nile. There is 
 then an elevated region to the south, which extends 
 from the Great Syrtis or Gulf of Sidra, as far as middle 
 Egypt, and comprises the oases of Augila and Siwah. 
 The level of this region is so low that the oasis of 
 Siwah is as much as one hundred feet below the level 
 of the sea. This region is again followed by a table- 
 land of large extent, probably traversing the Lybian 
 desert, and reaching as far as the first cataract on the 
 Nile. The north-western part, as far as Sokna, con- 
 sists of the Hamadah, which is a stony, dreary, and 
 extensive table-land, of from one thousand five hundred 
 to two thousand feet high, which intercepts the pro- 
 gress of commerce and civilization from the shores of 
 the Mediterranean to Central Africa. This table-land 
 is known to us principally from the reports of Kichard- 
 son, Barth, Overweg, and Dickson who went over 
 part of the same ground after them. Not far from 
 Sokna, this plateau is broken up, and forms the Jebel- 
 es-Soudy, or Black Mountains ; and, again, on the route 
 
14 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 from Murzuk to Egypt, it is split up into picturesque 
 cliffs, which bear the name of El-Harouj. This table- 
 land, on the side towards Tripoli, is bordered by the 
 Gharian Mountains. This range is not, as some have 
 supposed, connected with the Atlas Mountains. It is 
 separated from them by a depressed belt, which sinks 
 even below the level of the sea. This low-lying region 
 is the western boundary of the Sahara, and it extends 
 from the Gulf of Kabes along the southern slope of the 
 Atlas system to the Wady Draa, bordering on the 
 States of Marocco, Algeria, and Tunis. Tuat, an ex- 
 tensive oasis, occupies the central portion of this 
 territory. From Wady Draa, the great plain extends 
 along the western shore as far as the Kiver Senegal, and 
 probably continues as far as Timbuktu, and Lake Tsad. 
 Beyond the Hamadah, southwards, the kingdom of 
 Fezzan and the oasis of Ghadamis are flat and low ; 
 and between Fezzan and Lake Tsad, there is a tract of 
 country which may also be considered rather as a 
 desert than a table-land. The western half of the 
 Sahara is thus surrounded by a broad belt of plains and 
 depressions, the central parts being formed by great 
 table-lands and mountains, and comprising the kingdom 
 of Air or Asben, explored by Kichardson, Earth and 
 Overweg. The route which was followed by Dr. Barth 
 in his journey to Agadez, the capital of that kingdom, 
 was girt by mountain ranges and groups, rising to three 
 thousand and four thousand feet. Mount Dogem, the 
 culminating point of these ranges, is between four thou- 
 sand and five thousand feet high. The eastern portion 
 of the Sahara is a considerably elevated table-land, 
 comprising the mountainous country of Borgu. The 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 15 
 
 highest summit in the whole region is said to be 
 Ercherdat-Erner. The narrow valley of the Nile is the 
 eastern boundary of the Great Desert. 
 
 To the south of this region, Africa is a great mass of 
 elevated land, rising more or less above the level of 
 the sea. Some geographers have maintained that they 
 can trace a system of terraces on all sides. It is 
 certainly so on the southern side, but the same feature 
 is not discernible throughout. Indeed, generally speak- 
 ing, the plateau on the other sides either gradually 
 slopes down into a plain along the sea-shore, or rises 
 abruptly out of the sea, and presents a deep edge of 
 from seven thousand to eight thousand feet elevation. 
 The edge of the table-land is, however, usually from 
 one hundred to three hundred miles distant from the 
 sea. Beginning at the Cape, there is an almost unin- 
 terrupted table-land, extending to the north for at 
 least one thousand geographical miles. The basin of 
 the Orange Eiver forms the southern portion, and this 
 is succeeded by the Kalahari Desert, which is again 
 continued by the basin of the Sesheke and Lake 
 Ngami, there being many rivers, while the whole region 
 is level, and Ngami two thousand eight hundred and 
 twenty-five feet above the sea. There is no doubt a 
 connection between this territory and the basin of the 
 Zambesi. To the north, the ground rises and forms 
 the water-shed between the basins of the Congo Kiver 
 and Lake Nyassa. In this region were supposed to lie 
 " the Mountains of the Moon," so frequently mentioned 
 in the ancient geography of Africa. The site of them 
 was continually shifted from one latitude to another, 
 while all agreed that they ran from east to west ; but 
 
16 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 Dr. Beke, from personal observation, determined that 
 they had a direction from south to north, and were 
 parallel with the eastern coast, and that they form the 
 southern continuation of the Abyssinian table-land. 
 The most elevated peaks rise on the outer edge of the 
 range, between it and the coast, and as isolated cones. 
 The Kenia and Kilimanjaro, part of this system, and 
 two of those peaks, are, as we have said, snowy 
 mountains, and, that being their character, they must 
 have an elevation of at least twenty thousand feet. 
 Abba Yared, in the northern edge of the Abyssinian 
 table-laud, is fifteen thousand feet ; Mendif, south of 
 Lake Tsad, is isolated, and is probably ten thousand 
 feet high, and Alantika, conspicuous to the south of 
 Yola, 8^ 30' N. lat., 13° 45' E. long., is also isolated, 
 and estimated by Dr. Barth at ten thousand. The 
 loftiest of the Cameroons is thirteen thousand seven 
 hundred and sixty feet, and, in Southern Africa, the 
 Spits Kop, or Compass Berg, is ten thousand two 
 hundred and fifty. 
 
 The Atlas 3Iountains occupy the north-western region 
 of Africa, consisting of several ranges, their loftiest 
 summits rising to an altitude of about fifteen thousand 
 feet. 
 
 The most frequently occurring and most widely 
 distributed rock formations in Africa are those of sand- 
 stone and limestone ; natron, which is rare in other 
 countries, is comparatively abundant. There is salt in 
 some parts, but elsewhere it is entirely wanting. 
 Metals are nowhere abundant — gold, however, is found 
 in small amount in various localities. Precious stones 
 are frequently found in most of the tropical countries ; 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 17 
 
 but here they are of rare occurrence. At present the 
 discovery of diamonds in the region of the Cape has 
 excited considerable public interest, and individuals, 
 now and again, have profited by their labour, but time 
 is necessary in order to a sound judgment respecting 
 the whole enterprise. 
 
 Africa is a land of deserts. The rivers are compara- 
 tively few, although recent explorations have shown 
 the amount of water in the continent to be much 
 greater than had previously been supposed. In many 
 instances the smaller rivers and lakes present only dry 
 water-courses in certain seasons of the year, and even 
 some of the larger streams approach nearly to the same 
 condition. Even Lake Tsad is sometimes nearly dry. 
 Floods are prevalent,, even in the desert, in the rainy 
 season. The importance of such floods is very great. 
 There may be inconvenience, and in the time of evapo- 
 ration there may be disease, but on their subsidence 
 vegetation is abundant and beautiful. The essential 
 service of the Nile inundations to Egypt need not be 
 more than named. 
 
 The waters of Africa generally flow into the Atlantic 
 and its branch, the Mediterranean, there being no ex- 
 tensive connection between this river system and the 
 Indian Ocean. 
 
 Historically, the Nile is the oldest of the rivers of 
 Africa. Without it the most ancient civilization could 
 not have existed. Egypt is dependent upon it, and 
 Egypt comes before us with an advanced civilization, 
 hieroglyphed on her monuments, as having existed in 
 such a condition thirty-five centuries before the 
 Christian era. Without admitting or rejecting claims 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 whose evidence we can only partly understand, the 
 antiquity of the land of the Pharaohs is not to be 
 disputed, neither is its knowledge of many arts, nor yet 
 its dependence upon this remarkable stream. But, 
 even now, although we seem to come near to the 
 solution of the mystery, and although several have laid 
 claim to a veritable discovery, the origin of the river is 
 imrevealed to this day. Our boastings are reproved by 
 the fact that " caimt Nili quserere " is a task not yet 
 accomplished. The three principal tributaries from 
 the east have, each in succession, claimed the distinction 
 of being the main stream. The Atbara, called by the 
 Abyssinians Takkazie, the last of the tributaries of the 
 Kile before its confluence with the sea, was considered, 
 in early Christian ages, as the head of the Nile. It 
 rises in the Abyssinian provinces of Lasta and Samen, 
 amidst mountains attaining the height of fifteen 
 thousand feet. From the same mountains issues the 
 Abai, formerly designated the Astapus, which becomes 
 the Bahr-el-Azrek, or ^* Blue Eiver," at Khartum. 
 The Abyssinians still look upon the Abai as the Gihon 
 of Genesis, as did also the Portuguese Jesuits of the 
 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Pedro Paez 
 visited its source in the peninsula of Godjam, a 
 hundred and fifty years before the time of Bruce, and 
 described what he saw. 
 
 Above the junction of the Astapus with the Bahr- 
 el-Abyad, or White River," the ancients seem to have 
 known nothing of the course of the Nile, before the 
 time of Ptolemy, except that it came from the west. 
 Of more recent explorations in tlie region of the Nile 
 there will be occasion to give particulars elsewhere. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 19 
 
 But here it may be remarked that three expeditions 
 were sent up the course of the river between 1835 and 
 1841 by the Mohammed Ali. From these many par- 
 ticulars were learned. Beyond Sobat, the stream was 
 found to be upwards of one thousand feet broad, the 
 sources being supposably three or four hundred miles 
 beyond. Later efforts towards discovery have more 
 than confirmed the supposition. The length of the 
 Nile is certainly, from its mouth to its source, not less 
 than three thousand four hundred miles, and the stream 
 drains an area of at least two million English square 
 miles. 
 
 The River Senegal is upwards of eleven hundred 
 miles in length, and has its sources in the same elevated 
 tract of land as those of the Kawara. The Gambia 
 and Rio Grande, south of the River Senegal, are also 
 considerable streams. The Kawara, commonly but 
 erroneously called Niger, is next to the Nile the largest 
 of African rivers, unless we also except the Congo, 
 which is not fully explored. Even now the sources of 
 it are not certainly defined. It appears to be the same 
 as the Amner, which is said to rise in a lofty group of 
 mountains to the east of Liberia. As far as Timbuktu 
 it is called the Joliba, and its course is there well 
 known ; but from that point to Yaouri considerable 
 obscurity hangs over it. Thence down to its mouth it 
 was first traced by Lander. It is generally there 
 called Kawara, although it has several names in the 
 difierent languages of the tribes which live upon its 
 banks. We know but little respecting the tributaries 
 of the Kawara. The Tchadda is the most important 
 of them, and it rivals the Kawara itself in magnitude 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 at the confluence. It reaches far into the heart of 
 Inner Africa. It was explored by Dr. Barth in its 
 upper course, where it flows through the kingdom of 
 Adamaua. Even there it is half a mile broad, and ten 
 feet deep, and is called Benue. The length of the 
 Kawara is about three thousand miles, and it drains an 
 area of one million five hundred thousand square miles. 
 
 To the south of the equator, the west coast receives 
 many large rivers, some of which are even as yet but 
 little known. Of these may be enumerated the Zaire 
 or Congo ; the Coanza ; the Nourse or Cunene ; and the 
 Swakop, explored by Mr. Galton. The Orange Elver 
 is about one thousand miles in length. Its head 
 streams are the Ki Gariep or Vaal Kiver, and the Nu 
 Gariep, which unites in its own stream the Caledon 
 and Cradock rivers. The Orange Kiver drains an area 
 of about three hundred and fifty thousand English 
 square miles. Beyond the southern extremity of Africa, 
 and advancing along the eastern coast, there is the 
 Limpopo, which is a very considerable stream. The 
 Zambesi is the largest river of the eastern coasts. 
 Livingstone and his companions have thrown much 
 light upon its sources and its character, and their 
 information will come before us in the sequel. 
 
 The lake country is also described in the details of 
 travel furnished by individual explorers, and therefore 
 need not here be specially characterise rl. 
 
 Africa lies almost entirely in the torrid zone, and is, 
 therefore, the hottest country which is known to us. 
 The highest temperature is to the north of the equator. 
 In Nubia and Upper Egypt eggs may be roasted in the 
 sand. Along the Mediterranean, the influence of the 
 
INTRODUCTOEY. 
 
 21 
 
 sea makes it more temperate. The country is more 
 elevated to the south of the Great Desert, and is cooler, 
 it being said that some parts near the equator reach 
 the altitude of perpetual snow. But there is no regular 
 snow-fall even in the most southern or northern regions. 
 In Northern Africa, the radiation is very great, the 
 soil of the Sahara rapidly absorbs the sun's rays, but 
 during the night it loses its heat so quickly that ice is 
 known to have been formed. The influence of the 
 regular winds is not much felt in this continent, unless 
 it be the monsoons of the Indian Ocean. The mon- 
 soons extend to about a third portion of the eastern 
 shores only, but they considerably affect the whole of 
 the African countries. Hurricanes sometimes occur at 
 the south-eastei n extremity, and but rarely in other 
 parts. The north is exposed to hot winds and storms 
 from the Sahara, these being called the Khamsin, in 
 Egypt; the Sirocco, in the Mediterranean; and the 
 Harmattan, in the western regions. These winds are 
 characterised by extreme heat and dryness, they lift 
 the sand and fill the air with dust, greatly increasing 
 evaporation, and frequently proving fatal to the 
 vegetable and animal creation of the regions over which 
 they pass. 
 
 On the whole, the supply of rain is very scanty, 
 The Sahara and the Kalahari are almost rainless. The 
 clearness of the atmosphere exceeds everything of the 
 kind which is known in other parts of the world. 
 European astronomers, visiting these latitudes, look 
 with astonishment on the nocturnal splendour of the 
 heavens — some of the planets shining with great bril- 
 liance, and occasioning deep and well-defined shadows. 
 
22 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 In the regions whicli lie between the Kawara and the 
 Senegal, copious rains come with the south-east trade 
 winds, so that at Sierra Leone as much as three hundred 
 and thirteen inches have been known to fall in the 
 course of a year. But the largest supply of rain seems 
 to be brought to Africa by the summer monsoon on the 
 east coast. This monsoon lasts from April to October, 
 extending over the Indian Ocean in a half-circle from 
 south-east to north-east by west. These winds bring 
 such falls of rain as drench the extensive plains and 
 rising grounds of the east horn of Africa. They are 
 broken, and their influence diminished by the great 
 Abyssinian table-lands. No rain falls in these regions 
 when the monsoon comes from the Asiatic continent. 
 The south-east monsoon extends northwards as far as 
 Lake Tsad and Kordofan, and even to the latitude 
 of 22°. Its influence begins to be felt in May, or a 
 month later than on the coast. This is a clear proof 
 that there is no connected equatorial range of high 
 mountains existing in Central Africa, such as was sup- 
 posed by early geographers when they spoke of the 
 "Mountains of the Moon." To the east, where high 
 mountains are known to exist, the same rain-bearing 
 wind is so much interrupted by them that it reaches 
 the northern portions of Abyssinia a month later than 
 Lake Tsad and Kordofan. The upper basin of the 
 Nile being, in all likelihood, not far from the coast, 
 that stream receives its supplies of water with the 
 beginning of the monsoon, and continues to rise till 
 September. 
 
 The vegetation of Africa presents many peculiarities. 
 A traveller passing from the south of Europe sees, from 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 23 
 
 Europe to Tangier, but little that is different from 
 what he has left behind him. He might suppose him- 
 self still in Spain or France. There are groves of 
 oranges and olives, wide plains covered with wheat and 
 barley, thick woods of evergreen oaks, cork-trees, and 
 sea-pines. These, intermixed with cypresses, myrtles, 
 arbutus, and fragrant tree-heaths, form the chief features 
 of the landscape. The plains are covered with the 
 gum cistus, and the hills and rocks with rock-roses, 
 palmetto-trees, and the wild caper. In the early 
 months of the year, the climate being like that of our 
 spring, the meadows are green with grass, with innu- 
 merable flowers, and the gardens are embellished with 
 the blossoms of the almond, the apricot, and the peach. 
 Even in the summer there are still a few flowers along 
 the banks of the rivers, but in the intense heat of most 
 parts all floral beauty is burnt up. 
 
 In the Barbary States, the principal cultivation in 
 grain consists of a kind of wheat, barley, maize, Caffre- 
 corn {Holcus sorghum) and rice. Tobacco, olives, and 
 figs thrive luxuriantly, as also do pomegranates, grapes, 
 jujubes, and melons. There are also grown the white 
 mulberry for silk-worms, indigo, cotton, sugar-cane, and 
 most of the culinary vegetables of Europe. In the 
 mountainous country, south of the Barbary States, in 
 the chain of the Atlas, is grown that peculiar timber 
 {Thuja articulata), called the sandrach-tree, which is 
 almost imperishable, and from which the ceilings of 
 mosques are exclusively constructed. It is supposed to 
 be the shittim-wood of Scripture. 
 
 Passing the chain of the Atlas, the scene soon 
 becomes different. There are now few trees, on account 
 
24 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 of the dryness of the climate. But here, where rain 
 seldom falls, and where the heat of the winds is scarcely 
 supportable even by the natives themselves, the palm, 
 providentially, forms a grateful shade which is imper- 
 vious to the rays of the sun, and beneath which flourish 
 the orange, the lemon, the pomegranate, and the vine — 
 all of which, although reared in constant shade, acquire 
 a peculiar richness of flavour. 
 
 The vegetation of Egypt is intermediate and partakes 
 of the character of both of these last-named features. 
 In the parts watered by the Nile there is a rich produce 
 of grain crops, of various kinds; but in the more 
 southern and drier districts, nothing but stunted and 
 miserable-looking bushes are left to contend with the 
 accumulating sand for the possession of the soil. In 
 the richer parts of the country there are acacias which 
 yield gum arable, large tamarisk-trees, the senna plant, 
 with cotton, coffee, indigo, and tobacco. 
 
 The deserts in the interior of the continent are 
 generally unoccupied by any plants, except such as are 
 of the most stunted character. One of the most 
 remarkable is a grass called Kasheia (Pennisetum 
 dicliotomum), which wholly covers immense districts, 
 and which is a great annoyance to travellers by its 
 prickly involucruin ; another is the agoul (AlJiagi 
 maurosum), which furnishes a likeable food for the 
 camel. In the equinoctial parts of Africa all Eui'opean 
 trees disappear, and even the date is seldom to be 
 seen. The flora partakes largely of the character 
 of the plants of India, but there are peculiarities 
 which belong to the African localities. There are 
 great masses of the baobab, the fruit of which 
 
INTKODUCTOEY. 
 
 25 
 
 affords a grateful drink to the natives, and immense 
 cotton-trees, which project at the base into great but- 
 tresses ; there are shrubs in considerable variety, rich 
 verdure, groups of oil palms, sago palms, and others of 
 the same tribe, reaching down to the water's edge. In 
 the thickets many varieties of climbers twine among the 
 branches of the trees, which they adorn with flowers of 
 white, scarlet, and orange. Pine-apples abound in the 
 woods in some places, and have established themselves 
 as completely as in their native soil in the tropical 
 parts of America. 
 
 In the tropical regions of Africa there are no waving 
 fields of corn; the vine is unknown; figs are worth- 
 less; only the orange and the lime remain. The ca- 
 vassa, the yam, the guinea-pea, and the ground-nut 
 supply their place. Here and there are to be found 
 various kinds of apples and plums ; but the heat is so 
 intense that all tree fruit is diminished in size and 
 greatly deprived of succulence and flavour. 
 
 Approaching the southern point of the continent, a 
 wilderness of bare sand occupies the centre of the 
 country. In the karoos of the Cape Colony are to be 
 found fleshy, leafless tribes of stapelias, mesembryanthe- 
 mums, euphorbias, crassulas, and aloes, with other plants, 
 which hold the soil by a single wiry root, and feed prin- 
 cipally upon the dews of heaven. Among these grow 
 many varieties of heath. The hills and rocks are 
 covered with a remarkable tribe of plants called 
 Cycadacese, intermediate, so to speak, betw een ferns and 
 palms; and after the rains, the whole country teems 
 with the blossoms of the ixia, the gladiolus, the disa, 
 the satyrium, and the oxalis. At Cape Town the 
 
26 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 American aloe has been introduced, which, with its 
 spiny leaves of six feet in length, forms impenetrable 
 hedges, more resembling chevaux-de-frise than any 
 living variety. The oaks and the pines of Europe have 
 also found here a congenial climate. The islands par- 
 take more or less of the vegetation of the continent, 
 modified chiefly on the west side by the cooling breeze 
 of the Atlantic, and on the east by the wide expanse of 
 the Indian and Southern Oceans. In these parts there 
 is usually an entire absence of African sterility, in 
 consequence of their insular position. From their 
 luxuriant vegetation we may judge what that of Africa 
 would be if either nature or human skill could succeed 
 in conducting rivers and streams into the regions of 
 barrenness and drought. 
 
 In Africa, there is great abundance of large quadru- 
 peds of many kinds, both of those which belong also to 
 other continents, and of those which are peculiar to 
 itself — such as the giraffe, the hippopotamus, the zebra, 
 the quacha, the gnu, and some other species of the 
 antelope tribe, of which there are about twenty varie- 
 ties, and the two-horned rhinoceros, of which there are 
 at least two varieties. Of the smaller quadrupeds 
 there are also many species unknown elsewhere. 
 
 The giraffe is found in all the dry regions of Africa, 
 between the sources of the Senegal and Dongola. It 
 has seldom been seen in the richer soil of Sudan. In 
 its native country it browses on trees, but when domes- 
 ticated it is not fastidious, but will eat any kind of 
 vegetable food. It is an inoffensive animal. 
 
 The hippopotamus is a most peculiar and unwieldy 
 animal confined to Africa. It abounds in all the large 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 27 
 
 rivers. It is amphibious, but derives its chief sus- 
 tenance from the land, while it lives mostly in the 
 water. It feeds on shrubs, and reeds, and the grassy- 
 produce of the banks and shallows of rivers. In the 
 land-track of the hippopotamus, which is like the ruts 
 of two waggon wheels, the Africans make a deep pit, 
 carefully covered over, and if he fall into the trap, he 
 is so awkward that he cannot get out. The average 
 weight of this enormous animal may be about three or 
 four thousand pounds. 
 
 The zebra is a member of the asinine tribe, and is 
 striped in every part, from the tip of the nose to the 
 end of the tail. Its head is large, its ears long, and 
 it is destitute of beauty in general. It is difficult to 
 tame, and very vicious. The qiiaeha is much like the 
 zebra, but is less striped, more robust, better shaped, 
 and not difficult to domesticate. 
 
 The gnu is of the antelope genus. It partakes in 
 its form of the horse, the stag, and the antelope : the 
 shoulders, body, thighs, and mane being equine ; the 
 head bovine ; the tail partly of the one and partly of 
 the other, exactly resembling that of the quacha ; the 
 legs and feet slender and elegant like those of the stag, 
 and, finally, it has the subocular sinus, which is sup- 
 posed to be the distinguishing characteristic of the 
 antelope tribe. It is so fierce and full of gambols, that 
 the Dutch boers of the Cape have named it ivilde heest 
 It is strong, swift, nice in the nose, and quick-sighted. 
 The motions are free, varied, and elegant. Herds of 
 them are to be met with in the plains bordering on the 
 Orange Eiver. 
 
 The two-horned rhinoceros of Africa is different from 
 
28 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 that of India. The skin is smooth compared with the 
 folds so remarkable in the Indian species, which is 
 covered as with a hide of mail. The eyes are low in the 
 head, almost at the root of the nose, and close under 
 the upper horn, and so small, that one is apt to suppose 
 them of little use to so enormous an animal ; but as 
 they are placed in a socket which is considerably 
 projected, they have a wide range, and are capable 
 of an immense sweep round the horizon. The variety 
 found near the mouth of the Orange Kiver is called 
 the white rhinoceros, and is larger than the other. 
 Another variety was found at a considerable distance 
 by Campbell, with the larger horn almost straight, and 
 longer, while the other horn was smaller in proportion. 
 This immense animal is found in all the woods of 
 Africa, from Sudan to the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 Of the eland, Africa contains more species than are 
 to be found in all the rest of the world. Elands are of 
 many sizes. The finest and best developed are most 
 beautiful creatures. The male has been known to 
 measure ten feet and a half in length, by six feet and 
 a half in height. They are mild of temper, and easily 
 hunted down. 
 
 The springbok is one of the most gracefully elegant 
 and most numerous of all the species of antelopes to be 
 found in South Africa. Sometimes springboks as- 
 semble in herds of thousands, especially at the times of 
 their migrating to the north, and also at the season of 
 their return. It leaps to the extent of from fifteen to 
 five and twenty feet — hence its name. Many other 
 descriptions of antelopes are to be found in various 
 parts of Africa. Antelopes follow their leader like 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 29 
 
 sheep. They are, therefore, easily driven towards some 
 small opening, and, as the whole herd presses onwards, 
 following the leader, great havoc is made among them 
 by hunters. 
 
 The elephant is found in all the forests. Gigantic as 
 it is, it is a harmless animal. It is usually taken in 
 pits with stakes at the bottom. 
 
 The buffalo is probably the most fierce and powerful 
 of the whole bovine tribe. Its height is about that of a 
 common-sized ox, but it is nearly twice its bulk. Its 
 horns at the base are about twelve or thirteen inches, 
 separated by a very narrow space, which fills up with 
 age, and gives the animal a solid forehead of horn, 
 as hard as iron or rock. A conflict between the buffalo 
 and the lion is terrific, and it is only when the lion 
 can by stratagem surprise him that the buffalo is 
 conquered. 
 
 The African lion is the noblest animal of his race. 
 None of the Asiatic lions can compare with him for 
 size, strength, or beauty. The habits of the lion are 
 those of the feline tribe. He never attacks openly 
 unless he is hungry. He is roused from sleep only by 
 hunger. He then watches in ambush till an oppor- 
 tunity occurs for pouncing on his prey. If nothing 
 present itself, he then walks out, and, finding a flock of 
 antelopes, or sheep, selects his victim. In the case of 
 sheep under the care of a man, he invariably prefers 
 the man to the sheep. 
 
 The tiger is to be found in several varieties, less 
 powerful, however, than that of Bengal. Leopards are 
 numerous and very fierce. There are wolves, jackals, 
 wild cats, and other smaller animals, which live predatory 
 
30 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 lives; and are ferocious and troublesome. Baboons and 
 monkeys of many sizes abound in the woods of the 
 tropical regions. 
 
 There are many lizards in all the sandy deserts, and 
 there are two or three species of chameleon. The 
 crocodile or alligator is found in all the larger rivers. 
 In such a climate it is to be expected that various 
 insects and reptiles should abound ; scorpions, scolopen- 
 dras, enormous spiders, snakes, and other venomous 
 creatures. Termites, or white ants, are very numerous. 
 They destroy everything in the shape of wood, and 
 march together in such swarms, that the devastation 
 they leave behind them is appalling. Locusts are still 
 more destructive. An army of locusts passing over 
 a country, leaves it as if it had been swept with a 
 broom. 
 
 In Afi'ica there is a vast variety of birds, from the 
 large ostrich, down to the little certhia, or creeper. 
 There are many specimens of the vulture, the secretary 
 bird, eagles, kites, crows, guinea-fowls, bustards, grouse, 
 partridges, quails, and swallows. The crane, the 
 flamingo, the pelican, and many varieties of water-fowl 
 frequent the rivers and lakes. Parrots and parroquets 
 abound in many parts. 
 
 Fish in great variety are to be found in most of the 
 rivers as well as on tlie coast. On the coast sharks, as well 
 as both black and spermaceti whales, are numerous. 
 
 Of the three hundred mammals of different species 
 which are known to be inhabitants of Africa, more than 
 two hundred are peculiar to that continent and to 
 Madagascar. Of these, a great majority are to be 
 found only to the south of the Great Desert. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 31 
 
 From the Mediterranean to about lat. 20^ N., the 
 inhabitants are of various races. The Berbers of the 
 region of the Atlas, the Tuaricks and Tibbus of the 
 Sahara, and the Copts of Egypt, are all descendants 
 of the original population, the Moors being of mixed 
 descent. The Ethiopic or negro race are found be- 
 tween lat. 20° N. and the Cape Colony, there being, 
 however, many varieties of physiognomy among those 
 who bear the general name. In the Cape Colony 
 itself, and in the parts surrounding it, the home of the 
 Hottentots is found. 
 
 The Copts are descended from the ancient Egyptians. 
 Their number is not more than one hundred and fifty 
 thousand, and about ten thousand of them reside 
 about Cairo. They are darker than Arabs, their cheek- 
 bones being high, and their beards thin and their hair 
 woolly. Their religion is a corrupt form of Christi- 
 anity. They are extremely bigoted. Their morality 
 is of a low standard. They are sullen, and false, and 
 avaricious, and drink to excess. The Coptic may now 
 be considered a dead language, the Arabic having come 
 to occupy its place. 
 
 Above Egypt there are two tribes, resembling each 
 other in general physical development, yet speaking 
 different tongues. Probably one is aboriginal or 
 native; the other foreign. Prichard terms them 
 Eastern Nubians — or Nubians of the Red Sea, and 
 Nubians of the Nile — or Berberines. These tribes are 
 of a red-brown complexion, and their hair thick and 
 frizzly. The Eastern Nubians are tribes of wandering 
 people who inhabit the country lying between the 
 Nile and the Red Sea. The Baraba or Berberines in- 
 
32 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 habit the valley of that name from the southern limit 
 of Egypt to Senaar. They live on the banks of the 
 Nile, and being honest and industrious, wherever there 
 is available soil they utilise it, planting trees, sowing 
 grain such as durra, and setting up wheels for irriga- 
 tion. 
 
 The Tibbus are spread over the eastern parts of 
 the Sahara, as far as Fezzan and Lake Tsad. They 
 occupy the ground on which the ancient Lybians 
 formerly lived. Some of them are black, others copper- 
 coloured. They are well made, though slim. Their 
 hair is not woolly, though curled. They are chiefly 
 a pastoral people, with many horses, cattle, sheep, and 
 goats — camels, however, being their most valuable 
 possessions. They build their villages in squares. 
 Their dwellings are of mats, and are clean and neat. 
 Formerly they carried on a considerable traffic in 
 slaves between Sudan, Fezzan, and Tripoli. Happily, 
 this description of trade has of late years been much 
 interrupted. 
 
 All that is not Arabic in the kingdom of Marocco, 
 all that is not Arabic in the French provinces of 
 Algeria, and all that is not Arabic in Tunis, Tripoli, 
 and Fezzan, is Berber. The language, also, of the 
 whole country between Tripoli and Egypt is Berber. 
 The extinct language of the Canary Isles was Berber. 
 And the language of the Sahara is Berber. The 
 Berber languages are, in their present use, inland 
 tongues — the Arabic, as a rule, is the language for 
 the coast, from the Delta of the Nile to the Straits of 
 Gibraltar, and from the Straits of Gibraltar to the 
 mouth of the Senegal. The Berbers are a nation of 
 
INTKODUCTORY. 
 
 38 
 
 great antiquity ; and from the earliest times of which 
 we have any historical record, they have occupied the 
 same territory as now. In the northern parts of the 
 Atlas they are called Berbers ; in the southern tracts, 
 Shuluhs; in the hilly country, Kabyles; in Mount 
 Auress, the Showiah ; and in the desert, the Tuarick. 
 All belong to the same natural stock. In the Atlas 
 Mountains there are said to be more than twenty 
 different tribes, perpetually at war w-ith each other. 
 They are very poor. The means of living, on the part 
 of many, is the plundering of those who have any- 
 thing to seize, and bands are formed and excursions 
 made for that purpose. They are athletic, strong- 
 featured, and hardy. They wear a sort of woollen 
 garment, without sleeves, fastened round the waist 
 by a belt. 
 
 In the mountains of the northern Atlas, the Shuluhs 
 live in houses of stone and mud, covered with slate, 
 and chiefly in villages ; but they are occasion alJy to be 
 found in caves or tents. They are huntsmen, yet they 
 cultivate the ground, and trade in honey. They are 
 w^ell formed and hardy, their complexion being com- 
 paratively light. The Kabyles of Algeria and Tunis 
 are noted for their industry, not only in tilling the 
 ground, but also in working in mines in the mountains, 
 obtaining lead, iron, and copper. They live in huts 
 spread in groups over the sides of the mountains. 
 They are of middle stature, and dark-brown colour, 
 sometimes nearly black. 
 
 The Tuaricks spread themselves, in various tribes, 
 over the greater portion of the Sahara. The expedi- 
 tion under Kichardson, Barth, and Overweg has greatly 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 increased our knowledge of these people. They tra- 
 versed a wide extent of the territories which the 
 Tuaricks occupy. The following are the names and 
 localities of the principal tribes : — 1. Tanelkum, lo- 
 cated in Fezzan. 2. Azghers, including, i. Ouraghen, 
 family of Shafou ; ii. Emanghastan, family of Hateetah ; 
 iii. Amana, family of Jabour — all located at Ghat. 
 3. Aheethanaran, the tribe of Janet. 4. Hagar 
 (Athagar), pure Hagars and Maghatale. They occupy 
 the tract between Ghat, Tuat, and Timbuktu. 5. Sa- 
 gamaram, located on the route from Aisou to Tuat. 
 G. Kailouees, including the Kailouees proper, the 
 Kaltadak, and the Kalfadai. 7. Kilgris, including the 
 Kilgris proper, the Iteesan, and the Ashraf. These and 
 the tribes immediately before mentioned inhabit the 
 kingdom of Ahir. 8. Oulimad tribes, surrounding 
 Timbuktu in great numbers. This, probably identical 
 with the Sorghou, is the largest and most powerful 
 tribe, while the Tanelkums are the smallest and 
 weakest. 
 
 The various tribes are very different in character, 
 but they are all fine men, tall, straight, and handsome. 
 All the caravans crossing their territory must pay 
 tribute to them. This is one of their means of living. 
 They are abstemious and subsist chiefly on coarse 
 brown bread, dates, olives, and water. Even in the 
 heated desert, where the thermometer is generally from 
 90° to 120°, they are clothed from head to foot, and 
 cover the face up to the eyes with a black or coloured 
 handkerchief. 
 
 Large portions of the empire of Marocco are in- 
 habited by the Moors, who are spread along the whole 
 
INTRODUCTOKY. 
 
 35 
 
 Mediterranean coast. Tliey are a mixed race, grafted 
 upon the ancient Mauritanian stock. They have 
 in course of time incorporated with themselves, 
 through intermarriages, much of the blood of the 
 Arabs and of the Spaniards. Their language is Ara- 
 bic. In bodily conformation they considerably resemble 
 Europeans. They are intellectual, but cruel. They 
 have had many revolutions among them, and these 
 have been always most sanguinary. They have been 
 much given to piracy. In religion, they are Ma- 
 hometan. Generally they are temperate in diet and 
 plain in dress. The rich, however, indulge in many 
 luxuries, and are fond of display. There are wandering- 
 tribes which belong to them ; but very many, the 
 mass, settle themselves as merchants, mechanics, and 
 farmers. 
 
 The Arabs constitute no small portion of the popula- 
 tion of Northern and Central Africa. Two invasions of 
 Africa have been made by the Arabs, and both have 
 left many marked traces behind them, inasmuch as 
 they took possession of the territory which they con- 
 quered, and gradually mixed up with themselves such 
 of the aboriginal inhabitants as remained. Egypt 
 is now an entirely Arabic country. Several tribes, 
 unmixed and purely Arabic, are to be found in Nubia 
 and Egypt, and the provinces of Kordofan, Darfur, 
 VVaday, and Bornu. Others occupy the deserts of 
 Libya and the Sahara, and the States of Tripoli, 
 Tunis, and Algiers, many of them leading a wandering 
 life like the Kabyles. In many places they formally 
 rule over the districts of which they have made them- 
 selves masters. On the coast of Zanzibar there is an 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Arabic royal dynasty. Some of the smaller islands 
 adjacent to Madagascar are inhabited by Arabs, and 
 traces of them are to be found in Madagascar itself. 
 The African Arabs are not all alike in features or 
 colour, inasmuch as some have intermixed with natives, 
 while others have remained distinct. 
 
 Jews are to be found in the larger towns of the 
 north as merchants, brokers, and traders of various 
 descriptions, and the commerce with Europe is largely 
 carried on by them. 
 
 Many Turks have settled in the north of Africa, and 
 their numbers are on the increase. 
 
 The Abyssinians are of Ethiopic origin. Abyssinia 
 was, in former times, a powerful kingdom ; but the 
 Galla having conquered the southern part of it, and 
 there being incessant wars among the people them- 
 selves, the cDipire as such has become a mere shadow, 
 and, since the recent expedition of the English army, 
 is even scarcely so much. The territory of Abyssinia 
 extends from the upper course of the Blue Kiver north 
 to the Ked Sea. There are several princes who were 
 ostensibly vassals to the empire, who even formerly exer- 
 cised unlimited power, and now more markedly than ever 
 these rulers have undisputed sway in their several 
 territories. The Christian religion, much corrupted, is 
 professed by most of the people. It was introduced at 
 an early period, but has been greatly changed. Euro- 
 pean missionaries have exposed themselves to many 
 dangers, and laboured with commendable zeal, for the 
 sake of these people ; but have been repeatedly driven 
 from their posts.' The inhabitants live in huts, a col- 
 lection of which is called a town. Professing Christians 
 
INTKODUCTOEY. 
 
 37 
 
 are not allowed to keep slaves, though they are per- 
 mitted to trade in them. 
 
 The Ethiopic race comprehends by far the greater 
 number of the African nations, extending over the 
 whole of Middle and South Africa. All are not negroes, 
 however ; the Negro, the Galla, the Somali, and the 
 Kaifre are all different branches of the same stock. 
 The principal Negro nations are established around the 
 head waters of the Ka\vara, where they have many 
 tribes and kingdoms, larger or smaller, under separate 
 and independent chiefs. They are black, and their 
 hair woolly. The Wolofs, or Yolofs, are the hand- 
 somest, yet the blackest, of all Negroes. They live 
 between the Senegal and the Gambia, on the Atlantic 
 coast. The Foulahs or Fellattahs are to be found in 
 the central parts of Sudan, by the course of the 
 Kawara, west to the Senegal, and east till beyond Lake 
 Tsad. They are generally black, though some of them 
 are as light as gipsies. They are industrious, cleanly, 
 and, in their religion, usually Mahometan. There are 
 several other sections of the Negro race, but they are 
 less distinct and less numerous: the Congo, the 
 Abunda, and the Benguela. These are to be found 
 chiefly in South Guinea. The whole Negro race is 
 divided and separated into manifold tribes, dialects, 
 and social peculiarities. 
 
 The Gallas, another branch of the Ethiopic race, 
 occupy an immense territory in Eastern Africa, from 
 Abyssinia as far as the inland portions of the Portuguese 
 possessions in Mozambique, to the south of the equator. 
 They are large and strong ; their colour is black, some 
 of their women being of lighter colour. 
 
AFRICA. 
 
 The Somali are widely scattered on the uplands, and 
 also nearer to the coast of the Indian Ocean, from Cape 
 Jerdaft'iin southward for a considerable distance. They 
 are generally mild and peaceful among themselves. 
 Their occupations are pastoral. 
 
 The Kaftres occupy a great portion of South Africa. 
 They are generally black, but some, as among blacks, 
 are remarkably fair ; and are woolly-haired. They are 
 a strong, muscular people, active in their home indus- 
 tries, such as hunting and agriculture, but given also 
 to warfare and plunder. The Eastern Kaftres, such as 
 the Amakosah and Amaziilah, are best known to us by 
 means of their frequent predatory incursions into the 
 Cape Colony. The Bechuana tribes are Kaftres; but 
 these are less warlike, and more devoted to their own 
 domestic husbandries and other aftairs. All Kaftres 
 keep herds of cattle, and to some extent cultivate fields 
 and gardens; but the tribes last named, in many 
 instances, live in towns, and are in every way superior 
 to most of the other sections of the race. There are 
 many tribes of them, and they do not always keep the 
 peace towards each other. 
 
 The Hottentots differ widely from all the other 
 African races. In bodily conformation they are thought 
 t(^ resemble the Chinese or Malays. The women have 
 this remarkable peculiarity, that they are possessed of 
 natural bustles," which sometimes grow to an enormous 
 size. What \^ere the circumstances which originally 
 led to the hemming in of these poor people into the 
 narrow space which they occupy, history does not tell, 
 and conjecture seems to be vain. They are not without 
 intellect, and are of cheerful temperament. They have 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 39 
 
 been much oppressed at various times since their con- 
 nection with Europeans, and especially by the Portu- 
 guese and the Dutch. The English have afforded them 
 protection. Moravian missionaries, and not without 
 success, have sought to raise them out of their degra- 
 dation. Their home now, wherever they originally 
 came from, is principally in the region about Table 
 Bay. But in the very centre of South Africa there is 
 a nation of dwarfish appearance, possessing many cattle, 
 and apparently belonging to the Hottentot race. 
 
 The island of Madagascar, distinctly belonging to 
 Africa, is inhabited by a race originally Malay, but now 
 possessing a mixture of Negro and Arab blood. They 
 are a strong and active people. They were heathen ; but 
 nothing has occurred in the history of Christian mis- 
 sions more noteworthy than, first, the appalling cruelty 
 and extent of the persecutions of the Christians which 
 have been endured among them, and afterwards, the 
 striking success of the Gospel which has followed. 
 There are now very many thousands of Christians 
 instructed by a large staff of missionaries from Europe, 
 as well as by a numerous native ministry. 
 
 It can only be an approximate guess that can be 
 made respecting the number of the population of such 
 a territory as Africa, there being, even now, so much of 
 it unexplored. But, according to the most recent 
 calculations, it has been reasonably suj)posed that it 
 cannot be less than one hundred and twenty millions. 
 
 The people generally live in villages or towns, and 
 have strong attachments to their homes. Even the 
 wandering tribes have their favourite dingles and 
 valleys to which they more frequently resort. 
 
40 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 There is but little skill in their agriculture. In well- 
 watered districts the soil is abundantly fertile, and, 
 personal wants being few, the bounty of nature is 
 largely drawn upon. 
 
 The different tribes are frequently at war with each 
 other. Sometimes this is for revenge of past injuries 
 or conquests, the former being real or supposed ; some- 
 times for territory ; but more frequently in order to the 
 capture of slaves. This vile traffic is the greatest of 
 all the evils which have afflicted Africa. 
 
 As to religion, generally speaking, and alluding to 
 the whole population, there is none. A mongrel 
 Christianity is professed, as we have already said, in 
 Abyssinia; Mahometanism obtains in the northern 
 countries ; but the African races, as a rule, are aban- 
 doned to the weakest of mere superstitions. Their 
 minds are not so difficult of access as are those of 
 nations which have elaborate systems of mythology and 
 idolatry ; and in most parts which have been occupied 
 by missionaries, the success of their labours has been 
 very considerable. 
 
 As to the political and territorial divisions of Africa, 
 if such phrases may be employed : 
 
 The country included under the general name of 
 Barbary extends from the borders of Egypt on the east, 
 to the Atlantic on the west ; being bounded by the 
 Mediterranean on the north, and the Sahara on the 
 south. It comprises the States of Marocco, Algiers, 
 Tunis, and Tripoli. Marocco has an area of about 
 one hundred and seventy thousand geographical miles 
 square, and eight million five hundred thousand of a 
 population. Algeria closely answers to the ancient 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 41 
 
 Numidia. The area is estimated at one hundred 
 thousand square miles, and the population at three 
 millions. Tunis is the smallest of these states. It is 
 forty thousand miles square, and the population is 
 between two and three millions. The people are 
 chiefly Moors and Arabs. The principal town is 
 Tunis. Tripoli is a Turkish province, extending from 
 Tunis to Egypt, along the shores of the Mediterranean. 
 Its extent is two hundred thousand square miles, and 
 the population one million five hundred thousand. 
 
 Egypt occupies the north-eastern corner of Africa. 
 It comprises about one hundred thousand square miles, 
 and has two million of a population of various races, 
 the most numerous being Egyptians of Arab descent. 
 It is nominally a Turkish pashalic; but while the 
 Sultan now and then asserts his superiority, the Vice- 
 roy, or Khedive, is virtually an independent ruler. 
 Nubia extends along the Eed Sea, comprising the 
 middle course of the Xile, with a population of one 
 million. Khartum is the capital. 
 
 Kordofan lies on the western side of Nubia, and is in 
 extent about thirty thousand square miles. The popu- 
 lation consists chiefly of negroes. The country in 
 general is flat, but there are lofty hills, some attaining 
 to three thousand feet. The general elevation of the 
 country is two thousand feet. Nubia and Kordofan 
 are under the rule of the Khedive. 
 
 The boundaries of Abyssinia are not easily defined. 
 It may be said to extend from about 9° to 16° north 
 lat., and from 35° to 41° east long., having an area of 
 one hundred and fifty thousand square miles, with, 
 probably, four million of a population. 
 
42 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 The Sahara extends from the Atlantic in the west, 
 to the Nilotic countries in the east; and from the 
 Barbary States in the north, to the basins of the rivers 
 Senegal and Kawara, and Lake Tsad in the south. The 
 area is about two million square miles, or upwards of one 
 half of the whole of Europe. The population is thin. 
 The general aspect of the Sahara has already been 
 indicated. It is excessively hot by day, and sometimes 
 very cold at night. Rain is infrequent. For nine 
 months of the year the wind is from the east. "When 
 a storm arises, immense quantities of loose sand are 
 carried before it, and a thick deposit is left to cover 
 the soil. Of course vegetable and animal life exist but 
 sparingly in oases where valleys or springs occur. The 
 habitable parts of the Sahara are occupied by three 
 different nations : the Moors and x\rabs in the extreme 
 western portion ; the Tuaricks in the middle part ; and 
 in the east a race resembling Negroes. The trade of 
 the Sahara is in gold, slaves, ivory, iron, and salt. 
 
 \Yestern Africa comprises the West Coast from the 
 borders of the Sahara, in about lat. 17° north, to the 
 Nourse River in about the same latitude south. Sene- 
 gambia is the country of the Senegal and Gambia. The 
 vegetation is most luxuriant and vigorous. The boabab 
 (monkey bread-tree), the most enormous tree in the 
 world, is characteristic of Senegambia. It is not so 
 high as some other trees ; but in circumference it is 
 frequently found to be sixty or seventy-five feet, and in 
 some instances has been known to measure one hundred 
 and twelve feet. The native population consists of 
 Negroes of various nations. There are European set- 
 tlements of the French on the Senegal ; of the British 
 
INTRODUCTOKY. 
 
 43 
 
 on the Gambia ; and of the Portuguese, in the manner 
 of small factories, at various points. The commerce 
 is chiefly in gum, beeswax, ivory, bark, and hides. 
 
 The West Coast of Africa, from Senegambia to the 
 Nourse Biver, is commonly called the Guinea Coast. 
 The coast is low, in many places being a dead level for 
 thirty or fifty miles inland. There are numerous rivers, 
 some of which can be traced as far as Inner Africa. 
 The Cameroon Mountains are an exception to the general 
 flatness of the country. The climate is very dangerous 
 to European life. Vegetation is exceedingly luxuriant 
 and varied. There is a species of palm-tree, from the 
 seed or nut of which is extracted the palm oil so well 
 known, several thousand tons of which are annually 
 brought to England. 
 
 The British colony of Sierra Leone extends from 
 Eokelle Kiver in the north, to Kater Eiver in the south, 
 and reaches about twenty miles inland. The Mala- 
 ghetta or Grain Coast extends from Sierra Leone to 
 Cape Palmas. It is sometimes styled the Windy or 
 Windward Coast. The Kepublic of Liberia occupies a 
 considerable extent of this country, and among the 
 population are many liberated slaves, freed in former 
 times in America. The Ivory Coast extends from Cape 
 Palmas to Cape Three Points, and obtained its name 
 from the quantity of ivory supplied by the numerous 
 elephants to be found there. The Gold Coast stretches 
 from Cape Three Points to the Kiver Yolta, and has 
 been long frequented for gold dust and other products. 
 The Slave Coast extends from the Kiver Volta to the 
 Calabar Kiver, and was formerly the scene of an 
 immense slave trafiic. The kingdoms of Ashanti, 
 
44 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 Dahomey, and others, occupy the interior country of 
 the Guinea Coast. The coast from Old Calabar River 
 to the Portuguese possessions is inhabited by various 
 tribes. Duke's Town, on the former river, is a large 
 town of thirty thousand to forty thousand inhabitants. 
 Loaugo extends from the equator to the Zaire, or 
 Congo, Eiver. Congo extends south of the Zaire, and 
 is very fertile, with veins of copper and iron. Angola 
 includes the two districts of Angola proper and 
 Benguela. Here the Portuguese settlements reach 
 farther inland than in the preceding districts, namely, 
 two hundred miles. The population of these settle- 
 ments is about four hundred thousand, including about 
 two thousand Europeans. The capital, St. Paolo de 
 Loando, has one thousand six hundred European and 
 four thousand native inhabitants. There is a fine 
 harbour. 
 
 The coast from Benguela to the Cape Colony is little 
 visited or known. It is barren and desolate, with but 
 few harbours. Mr. Galton penetrated, from Walfich 
 Bay, nearly four hundred miles into the interior in the 
 direction of Lake Ngami, and explored the country in- 
 habited by the Oraherero or Damaras, and other tribes. 
 
 The Cape Colony is included in South Africa, and 
 comprises the territory from the Cape of Good Hope to 
 the Orange Eiver in the south, to the Tugela River in 
 the east. ]\Euch of this space is unoccupied. The parts 
 which are inhabited are in possession of the aborigines, 
 with the exception of missionary stations. Except at 
 the immediate coast, the country consists of high lands, 
 with elevated plains or table-lands between the moun- 
 tains. But of this part of Africa we sliall subsequently 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 45 
 
 speak more at large. So, likewise, shall we more 
 particularly refer to Natal. 
 
 East Africa extends from Natal northwards to the 
 Ked Sea, and includes Sofala, Mozambique, Zanzibar, 
 and the Somali country. But little is known of it 
 beyond the shores. The Sofala Coast extends from 
 Delagoa Bay to the Zambesi River. It is flat, sandy, 
 and marshy, gradually ascending towards the interior. 
 There ai*e many rivers. Where there is soil it is rich 
 and fertile. Mozambique extends from the Zambesi to 
 Cape Delgado, and is similar in its features to the 
 Sofala Coast. The country is inhabited by the large 
 and powerful tribe of the Macuas. The principal 
 river is the Zambesi. 
 
 Zanzibar extends from Cape Delgado to the River 
 Jub, near the equator. There are few bays or harbours. 
 The region possesses a great number of rivers. The 
 vegetation is luxuriant. The fauna comprises all the 
 more characteristic African species. The inhabitants 
 in general are the Sawahili, but the coasts are under 
 the dominion of the Arabs, whose chief rulers are the 
 Imaum of Muscat and the Sultan of Zanzibar. The 
 island of Zanzibar used to be the residence of the 
 Imaum, but the dominion being divided, the Sultan of 
 the Zanzibar portion now lives there. Mombas, on a 
 small island close to the main shore, has the finest 
 harbour on that coast. There are carried on at 
 Mombas important missions, which, notwithstanding 
 much difficulty and opposition and suffering, have not 
 been without good fruit. The Somali country is the 
 eastern horn of Africa. There is a considerable amount 
 of commerce. The inhabitants in general belong to 
 
46 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 the Galla tribe ; but the trade is iu the hands of the 
 Arabs. 
 
 Central Africa is the reo:ion which extends from the 
 southern borders of the Sahara in the north, to Cape 
 Colony in the south ; and from Senegambia in the west, 
 to the territory of the Egyptian pashalic on the east. 
 Within this territory are the Tsad, and those other 
 great lakes which have been the subjects of more 
 recent discovery and geographical exploration. There 
 are numerous tribes of population under many rulers 
 or chiefs. The inhabitants are Negroes of various races, 
 Arabs, Moors, and Berbers. 
 
 Bambarra occupies part of the basin of the Joliba, 
 the upper source of the Kawara. The people are J\Ian- 
 dingoes and Foulahs. Sego, the capital, has thirty 
 thousand inhabitants. 
 
 Timbuktu, also in the basin of the Joliba, is below 
 Bambarra, and is partly within the Sahara. Houssa 
 lies to the north, and is inhabited by Foulalis and 
 Negroes — the Negroes predominating. The capital is 
 one of the largest towns occupied by Negroes ; it is 
 named Sakatu. Another large town, Kano, has a 
 population of from thirty to forty thousand. 
 
 Bornu is a powerful state, extending on the west 
 to the 10° of long., on the east to Lake Tsad and the 
 kingdom of Baghermi, and on the south as far as 
 Mandara and Adamaua, in about 11° north lat. 
 
 Baghermi is another powerful kingdom to the east of 
 Bornu. The inhabitants are given to war, and are 
 tempted thereto by the slave trade. Darfur and 
 Waday are to the east of Baghermi, and are densely 
 populated. A great part of this territory resembles 
 
INTEODUCTORY. 
 
 47 
 
 in character the Sahara. Adamaua is an extensive 
 country south of Honssa and Bornu, and is under 
 Foulah dominion. It is a large and cultivated valley. 
 It was first visited by Dr. Barth in 1851. 
 
 A considerable number of islands belong to Africa, 
 but these,' in such a work as the present, it will be 
 sufficient merely to name : the Madeiras, belonging to 
 Portugal, lie off the north-west coast at a distance of 
 three hundred and sixty miles ; the Canaries, belonging 
 to Spain, are about three hundred miles south of 
 Madeira, being the supposed Fortunate Islands of the 
 ancients ; the Cape Yerde Islands, subject to Portugal, 
 a numerous group about eighty miles from Cape Yerde ; 
 Fernando Po, a mountainous island in the Bight of 
 Biafra ; St. Thomas, immediately under the equator ; 
 Annobom, in 2° south lat., and belonging to Spain; 
 Ascension, a small arid islet, volcanic in character ; St. 
 Helena, a great rock rising two thousand six hundred 
 and ninety-two feet from the sea; Madagascar, the 
 largest island of Africa, and one of the largest in the 
 world, the area of \^'hich exceeds that of France ; the 
 Comoro Isles are four in number, and lie on the north 
 of the Mozambique channel ; Bourbon, four hundred 
 miles east of Madagascar, is a colony of France ; 
 Mauritius, ceded to Britain by France in 1814, is ninety 
 miles. east of Bourbon ; and Socotra, a large island, east 
 of Cape Jerdaffun, with an Arab population, belonging 
 to Britain. 
 
48 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN AFKICA. 
 
 The question naturally occurs, \Yhat has been done for 
 the civilisation and evangelisation of this immense 
 territory ? Unhappily, trade has been often so con- 
 ducted that it has not elevated the people. The good 
 influence has been almost entirely missionary. 
 
 The pagan tribes of Africa seem, according to the 
 best authorities, to have a species of belief in a Supreme 
 Being. They have not only a name to indicate that 
 belief, but some of the tribes have subordinate terms to 
 represent the Supreme, as the Creator, Governor, and 
 Preserver. But their faith has little or no influence. 
 They do not realise in thought and feeling even what 
 the names denote, and regard the Ruler of the world as 
 indifferent to his own creation. A belief in futurity 
 appears to be universal, but confused and gross. 
 Believing in the transmigration of souls, they hold in 
 special veneration some of the inferior animals, sup- 
 posing that these are inhabited by their ancestors or 
 friends. They have strange and conflicting notions in 
 respect to the condition of the dead. Of a state of 
 future rewards and punishments they know nothing, 
 although some dream of an ordeal which must be 
 
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN AFRICA. 
 
 49 
 
 passed, but this is probably, where it exists, a relic of 
 the teaching of the Portuguese Popish missionaries. 
 
 Fetishism and devil-worship are the prevalent forms 
 of anything like religion among these tribes. The two 
 things are separate and distinct, although they have 
 sometimes been ignorantly confounded. Fetishism is 
 the wearing of a charm. The charm passes under 
 several names in different parts of the country. It may 
 consist of anything which has been consecrated to this 
 particular use, but is usually a piece of wood, horn, 
 ivory, or metal. There are various classes of fetishes, 
 according to the ends contemplated, and these are 
 known by distinct names. Some are worn about the 
 person ; others are suspended in the house to ward off 
 danger, or on the highway to fence the farm and 
 orchard, and make them fruitful ; others are worn in 
 war to give success ; and others are of a more public 
 character, to guard the village, or to defend the person 
 and house of the chief. The fetishes are thus supposed 
 to save from some impending evil, or to secure some 
 coveted good, and especially to provide against the 
 power of witchcraft. They are trusted till proved 
 defective, and then they are abandoned and others 
 adopted instead. The faith in fetishes does not, 
 however, fail. If a man possesses ten, and finds nine of 
 them useless, he regards the tenth as the greater a trea- 
 sure. As old age with its feebleness advances, the vene- 
 ration for fetishes becomes greater. Intercourse with 
 civilised people, and the influence of the Gospel, can alone 
 break up that potent spell. No one thinks of fetishes 
 as other than pieces of senseless matter ; yet all believe 
 that they exercise a mysterious and powerful influence. 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 But the principal, perhaps we ought to say the only, 
 form of religious homage among these tribes has been 
 called devil-worship," perhaps for want of a more 
 appropriate name. The spirits are invoked or depre- 
 cated. The belief is that there are good spirits, whose 
 presence and favour are indispensable to preservation 
 and comfort. To propitiate them people build houses, 
 and make large and varied offerings. The evil spirits 
 are viewed as the authors of every form of evil, personal, 
 domestic, and social. In some places, offerings are 
 presented to conciliate the devil, and to induce him to 
 remove the threatened or actual calamity. In other 
 places, whole communities have resorted to clubs, with 
 which, amid frantic gestures and screams, and sur- 
 rounded with the glare of hundreds of torch-lights, they 
 have chased the fiend from their houses, beyond their 
 town, and for several miles out into the country. 
 
 With regard to Christian effort on behalf of these 
 benighted people, we may observe that the London 
 Missionary Society sent four agents to South Africa in 
 the year 1798. In presenting an example of such 
 work in Africa as is furnished by the labours of Moffat 
 and his coadjutors, we shall have occasion more par- 
 ticularly to refer to these operations. At Kat Eiver 
 there was a mission established in 1816, for the purpose 
 of extending previously inaugurated efforts. Work of 
 the same description has been carried on at the Zak 
 River, and among the Bushmen at Colesberg, and 
 beyond the Orange Eiver into the wild and desolate 
 Namaqualand. Polygamy, slavery, war, and canteens 
 in certain parts nearer to the Cape, are the great 
 obstructions which hinder success in such enterprises as 
 
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN AFEICA. 
 
 51 
 
 these. Since Livingstone's explorations have made 
 known so much of the interior of the country, various 
 stations, supported by different denominations of 
 Christians, have been opened among the more distant 
 tribes. 
 
 In 1821, the Glasgow Missionary Society commenced 
 its work in Kaffraria, in a soil which was very un- 
 promising, but which has, nevertheless, not been un- 
 fruitful. Other societies have followed this example — 
 the Free Church of Scotland, the United Presby- 
 terian Church, the Glasgow African Society, and 
 others. 
 
 In 1737, Mr. George Schmidt, in connection with 
 the Moravians,, attempted to plant a mission near 
 Sergeant's Kiver, for the instruction of the Hottentots. 
 He met with partial success, and, after instruction, 
 baptized not a few natives. After seven years he was 
 under the necessity of visiting Europe, and was ordered 
 by the Dutch Government not to return. But his 
 little flock kept together. The Bible had been left 
 with them ; and years afterwards there were pleasing- 
 traces of Mr. Schmidt's labours. The mission was 
 revived in 1792. There have been many discourage- 
 ments and difficulties, by means of war and otherwise, 
 but there are now many stations, and a large number 
 of professing Christians, as well as schools, and an 
 institution for the training of native preachers and 
 teachers. 
 
 The Paris Evangelical Missionary Society has 
 various stations in different parts of South Africa, 
 farther into the interior of the Continent. In this 
 region, the Ehenish Missionary Society has also several 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 agents. The Berlin Missionary Society lias ten stations 
 among the Corannas and Kaffres. 
 
 The American Board of Missions, in 1834, instituted 
 stations in the countries of Dingaan's and Mosilii?atse's 
 tribes ; and though the work has been much interrupted, 
 even to temporary cessation at times by war, it has yet 
 been persevered in, and is maintained and extended. 
 
 The Wesleyans have long conducted missions in the 
 Colony and in its vicinity, and now they have pene- 
 trated far beyond it. Of late years, the other sections 
 of the Methodist family have followed the example of 
 their elder sister, and sent agents to various parts of 
 the country, nearer or more remote. 
 
 In 1804, the Church of England Missionary Society 
 sent two missionaries to the Susoo Country in the 
 vicinity of Sierra Leone. The Moravians, as early as 
 1736, had attempted a settlement on the Gold Coast, 
 and had persevered for about forty years ; and the 
 Baptists, in 1795, had also attempted work in Western 
 Africa, but without success. In 1796, three societies — 
 the London, the Scottish, and the Glasgow — made a 
 united effort to plant a mission among the Foulahs, 
 each contributing two missionaries, but disease and 
 dissension thinned their numbers, and the only man 
 who gave any promise of usefulness was murdered. 
 The attempt was renewed by the Glasgow Society 
 alone ; but the two missionaries survived their arrival 
 in the country only a very few months. With these 
 startling facts before them, it displayed courage on the 
 part of both the directors and the missionaries to 
 engage in a work which had been so frequently and 
 so signally unsuccessful. Two missionaries arrived at 
 
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN AFRICA. 
 
 53 
 
 Sierra Leone in 1804 ; they settled for a time in 
 Freetown. In 1806, four additional labourers arrived. 
 These all, according to instructions from home, de- 
 voted themselves almost exclusively to the teaching 
 of the young. This was a mistake ; the ignorant 
 parents fancied that if their children learned from the 
 wliite man's book, they must of necessity outshine their 
 countrymen. They therefore discouraged the schools. 
 It is needful to enlist the sympathy and good- will of a 
 whole community before the work of education can 
 rest on a proper and promising basis. The slave 
 traders also opposed the undertaking ; but the mission- 
 aries persevered and broadened their plan of working, 
 seeking more directly to benefit the parents as well 
 as the children. A new station was opened on the 
 Bullom shore, and another on the Rio Dembia, or 
 Gambier. But the slave dealers fired the premises in 
 the latter place, and the missionaries barely escaped 
 with their lives. At Sierra Leone, and all around 
 within near reach of it, these labourers were ultimately 
 not a little successful. The schools and other institu- 
 tions intended to promote the welfare of the people 
 were of extensive benefit, and it was with much regret 
 that, on account of the large loss of life which the 
 maintenance of the mission involved, many of these 
 stations had to be abandoned. 
 
 The Yorubah or Yarriba country was at one time 
 one of the most powerful kingdoms in Western Africa. 
 In 1817 a great and destructive war spread desolation 
 over its entire territory. Out of the ruin of one 
 hundred and forty-five towns arose the city of Abbeo- 
 kuta. The city is supposed to have a population of 
 
54 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 about one hundred thousand. The inhabitants had 
 fled from the wasted villages, cleared away the forest, 
 and continued building until streets of houses were 
 erected for their accommodation. The people gene- 
 rally are agriculturists ; yet there are many mechanics 
 and tradesmen in every useful calling. Their religion 
 is polytheistic. They have no proper idea of the 
 Supreme Being. They have a god for every sphere, 
 and are firm believers in charms, divination, and 
 witchcraft. Their chief gods are' Saugo, the god of 
 thunder, and Ifa, the god of divination. The people 
 universally pray to the spirits of their deceased fathers. 
 The " Egun " is the spirit of a dead man, which, after 
 varied incantations, comes forth from the sacred grove, 
 and personates various parties, and for different pur- 
 poses. The scene of an occasion of " worship " is a 
 masquerade, and a man acts in it in the most grotesque 
 apparel. The " Egu," or " Oro," is associated with the 
 government as w^ell as with religion. It is a secret 
 society, bound by the most sacred oaths. No woman 
 is permitted to become a member ; and if, imhappily, 
 one is discovered or suspected of knowing its mysteries, 
 she is immediately put to death. When the "Egun" 
 comes to a town, the women hide themselves. Through 
 this influence the government is conducted, its laws 
 sanctioned, and its penalties enforced. When a culprit 
 is punished, it is said that Oro has eaten him, and no 
 question is asked. 
 
 The missions among these people, as well as those at 
 Sierra Leone, were under the care of the Church of 
 England Society ; and the missionaries still remaining, 
 with fellow-labourers who occupy new ground, represent 
 
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN AFRICA. 
 
 55 
 
 that there are four towns within two or three clays' 
 travel of Abbeokuta, with an aggregate population of 
 two hundred thousand. There are many other towns, 
 and the same language is spoken in all, so that the 
 way is open for such efforts of Christian zeal. Many 
 of the people have become Mahometans, which shows 
 that they are not hopelessly wedded to their super- 
 stitious views. 
 
 Mr. Crowther is an African, and a native of the 
 Yorubah district. He was rescued from a Portuguese 
 slaver by a British cruiser, carried to Sierra Leone, 
 educated in the Fourah Bay institution, went to 
 England, where he completed his education at the 
 Society's institution in Islington, and was ordained by 
 the Bishop of London as a missionary to Sierra Leone. 
 Samuel Crowther preached his first English sermon in 
 Africa, in the Freetown Church, on the 3rd of Decem- 
 ber, 1843, when great interest and high hopes were 
 excited. In the following January, he established a 
 service in Yorubah, his native tongue. The novelty 
 of the service attracted an immense crowd. Many of 
 these people returned to their native homes, and a 
 mission was instituted for Yorubah itself, and new 
 agents Avere appointed. Crowther also laid, with great 
 wisdom, the foundation of an important scheme called 
 the Niger Mission. He was consecrated bishop— an 
 able and most worthy man — and these evangelistic 
 efforts have greatly prospered. Connected with these 
 missions altogether there are more than a score of 
 missionaries, and several thousand communicants. 
 
 In the Old Calabar district of Western Africa there 
 are several stations, which are under the care of the 
 
56 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 United Presbyterian Church. Dr. Waddell and other 
 agents have laboured with much success for the good 
 of the people, both old and young. Greek Town, 
 Duke Town, and Old Town, have been the more 
 immediate spheres of operation. The climate is most 
 unhealthy to Europeans, and the loss of missionary 
 life has been very great. Slavery and the debasing 
 superstitions of the people have been formidable dis- 
 couragements ; but the work has been persistently- 
 carried on. 
 
 The Basle Missionary Society turned its attention 
 to the Gold Coast in 1826, and five agents arrived at 
 Christiansborg, near Akra, in 1828. There has been 
 much loss of life ; but the work has been persevered in, 
 and has prospered. There are three principal centres 
 of operation — Christiansborg, Akropong, and Ussu, or 
 Danish xAkra. 
 
 The American Board for Foreign Missions began its 
 efforts, on behalf of Western Africa, by forming a 
 station at Cape Palmas in 1834. Two years afterwards 
 the mission was reinforced, and in three years more 
 the war between Dingaan and the Dutch drove several 
 missionaries from South Africa to this point, at which 
 they continued their labours. There are now several 
 missionaries, a physician, and a number of native 
 assistants, and their endeavours have not been left 
 without good results. A change was soon visible 
 in the Negro population, the Sabbath became re- 
 spected, and both churches and schools were well 
 attended. 
 
 The American Methodist Episcopal Church has sent 
 several agents to Liberia, and they have had gratifying 
 
CHEISTIAN MISSIOXS IX AFRICA. 
 
 57 
 
 success; but, from the insalubrity of the climate, at 
 great cost of life and treasure. 
 
 The American Episcopal Board of Missions has 
 stations in Western Africa, at Cape Palmas, and else- 
 where. In connection with the mission there are also 
 day and boarding schools, churches, and an orphan 
 asylum, and there are eleven stations, eleven mis- 
 sionaries, eleven assistants, and four native teachers. 
 However much the present war may be regretted, it 
 will, at least morally, affect all these parts, and it is to 
 be hoped will weaken superstition, and open the way 
 for the Gospel. 
 
 The Southern American Baptist Convention has ac- 
 complished much good in Liberia and Yorubah, where 
 there are thirteen missionaries, eleven churches, and 
 eleven schools. 
 
 The American Missionary Association has also a 
 mission, called the Mendi Mission, in the Sherbro 
 country, and which employs seven missionaries. 
 
 It will be observed by the reader that this effort, 
 though by many organisations, and in a wide field, has 
 yet been restricted to the older and longer known parts 
 of Africa. But this is natural. Evangelisation could 
 not be projected in regard to unvisited and unknown 
 lands ; and exploration and extensive discovery in the 
 African continent have only within recent years brought 
 to our knowledge the existence and the needs of those 
 immense multitudes who now claim our benevolent 
 aid. Nor has the claim been disregarded. The visit 
 of Dr. Livingstone to England, after his first great 
 journey, gave a new impulse to missionary zeal on 
 behalf of these millions of people. In that visit- 
 
58 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 originated Bishop Mackenzie's, or the Universities' 
 Mission ; and all the great organisations whose object 
 is the weKare of the heathen have largely, because of 
 the same revelations, augmented the number of their 
 agents, while others who had not previously been in 
 the field have willingly joined them in a work which is 
 so great, and many Christian teachers have gone to the 
 distant interior, to tribes of whom we were previously 
 Ignorant. 
 
( 59 ) 
 
 , CHAPTEEIIL 
 
 NOTICES OF FORMEE AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 
 
 James Bruce was born at Kinnaird House, in the 
 county of Stirling, in 1730. He received his early 
 education at Harrow, from which he went to the 
 University of Edinburgh, where he studied with a view 
 to the profession of the law. But he changed his pur- 
 pose, and entered into partnership with a wine-merchant, 
 whose daughter he married. His wife died within a 
 year, and he made a tour abroad. His father died 
 during his absence, and he consequently succeeded to 
 the estate of Kinnaird. On his return to England, he 
 sought public employment, and at length was indebted 
 to Lord Halifax for the appointment of consul at 
 Algiers. He repaired to his post in 17 63, and employed 
 himself there for a year in the study of Oriental 
 languages. He commenced travelling by visits to 
 Tunis, Tripoli, Khodes, Cyprus, Syria, and several parts 
 of Asia Minor, where, accompanied by an able Italian 
 draughtsman, he made drawings of the ruins of Palmyra, 
 Baalbec, and other remains of antiquity, and which he 
 deposited in the King's Library at Kew. They are 
 now to be found in the British Museum. He was 
 accustomed to the language of hyperbole and boast, 
 
60 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 which was his weakness, and he himself says, " This 
 was the most magnificent present in that time ever 
 made by a subject to his sovereign." Of his first 
 travels he never published any account. In June 1768, 
 he began his famous journey to discover the sources of 
 the Nile. Proceeding first to Cairo, he navigated the 
 Nile to Syene, thence crossed the desert to the Eed 
 Sea, and, arriving at Jidda, passed some months in 
 Arabia Felix, and after various detentions reached 
 Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, in February 1770. 
 In that country, he ingratiated himself with the 
 sovereign and other influential persons, both men and 
 women, himself professing, not falsely, to be physician, 
 courtier, and soldier. On Nov. 14,* 1770, he obtained 
 the great object of his wishes — a sight of the sources of 
 the Nile [sic!]. Claiming to be the first European 
 who had accomplished this interesting discovery, his 
 exultation was proportionate, and he records it with 
 peculiar strength of expression. On his return to 
 Gondar, he found the country engaged in a civil 
 war, and was detained two years before he could ob- 
 tain permission to leave it. Thirteen months more 
 were then occupied in travelling back to Cairo, in 
 which journey he endured excessive privations. He 
 returned to his native country in 1773, and retired to 
 his paternal seat. He married again and maintained 
 the character of an elegant and liberal host, and an 
 amiable man in private life ; but was capricious in his 
 friendships, and haughty to strangers. His long- 
 expected " Travels " did not appear until 1790, in four 
 large quarto volumes, decorated with plates. These 
 volumes are replete with curious information con- 
 
FOEMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 61 
 
 cerning a part of the world but little known to 
 Europeans, and contain much interesting personal 
 adventure and fine description. It is to be regretted 
 that the authority of the work, in regard to facts of 
 natural history and human manners, was questioned 
 on its first appearance ; for his statements have been 
 more or less confirmed by all succeeding travellers who 
 have CQme near or touched upon his track — namely, 
 Salt, Coffin, Pearce, Burckhardt, Brown, Clarke, Wilt- 
 man, and Belzoni. Bruce, during the few remaining 
 years of his life, felt keenly the incredulity of the 
 public, and only hoped that his daughter would live to 
 see the time when the truth of all he had written 
 would be confirmed by subsequent observations. After 
 escaping great and manifold dangers in his wanderings 
 through barbarous countries, this enterprising traveller 
 lost his Kfe in consequence of an accidental fall down- 
 stairs in his own house in April 1794. 
 
 Andkew Spakrman, a Swedish naturalist and tra- 
 veller, was born about 1747, and studied medicine at 
 Upsal. In 17 65 he made a voyage to China. On his 
 retm^n he went to the Cape of Good Hope in 1772 ; he 
 there joined Captain Cook in his voyage round the 
 world, and, returning to the Cape in 1775, imdertook a 
 journey into the interior of Africa. He reached the 
 Cape on the completion of his travels in about a year, 
 bringing with him a large collection of specimens of 
 plants and animals. In 1787 he made another attempt 
 to explore the interior of Africa, but it was abortive. 
 He died at Stockholm in 1820. He was the author 
 of several works, among which are journals and 
 histories of his African travels, published first in 
 
62 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 German at Berlin and subsequently in English at 
 London. 
 
 MuNGO Pabk was born at Fowlshiels, near Selkirk, 
 on the 10th of September, 1771. His father occupied 
 the farm of Fowlshiels under the Duke of Buccleuch. 
 He received a good preliminary education, and after- 
 wards studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. 
 He became fond of botany, and this gave a strong 
 colour to his whole future life. The African Association 
 wanted a successor to Major Houghton, and Park was 
 appointed. Having spent about two years in and near 
 London, gaining the necessary qualifications, he set 
 sail in May, and on the 2 1st of June following, in 1795, 
 arrived at Jillifree, near the mouth of the Gambia. 
 He explored a considerable portion of the course of the 
 Niger, and reached London on Christmas morning, 
 1797. Great interest was excited by the narrative of 
 his expedition. Having married the daughter of the 
 gentleman with whom he had served his apprenticeship 
 as a surgeon. Miss Anderson, he commenced practice 
 on his own account at Peebles, in 1801 ; but being 
 offered the command of another expedition to the 
 Niger and the central parts of Africa, he accepted it, 
 and sailed from Portsmouth on the 30th of January, 
 1805. He was accompanied by his brother-in-law, Mr. 
 Anderson, surgeon; Mr. George Scott, draughtsman; 
 five artificers from the royal dockyards; Lieutenant 
 Martyn, and thirty-five privates of the Eoyal African 
 Corps stationed at Goree, and a Mandingo, Isaaco, a' 
 priest and trader, who acted as guide. The expedition 
 was altogether unfortunate. Mr. Anderson and others 
 fell victims to the climate. Park's last despatches are 
 
FORMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 
 
 63 
 
 dated from Sandsanding, and he says, I am sorry to 
 say that of forty-four Europeans who left the Gambia 
 in perfect health, five only are at present alive ; viz. 
 three soldiers (one deranged in his mind), Lieutenant 
 Martyn, and myself. . . . We had no contest with the 
 natives, nor was any of us killed by wild animals or 
 any other accident." He left Sandsanding on the 19th 
 of November, and, from information afterwards obtained, 
 he seems to have proceeded down as far as Boussa, 650 
 miles below Timbuktu, where, having been attacked 
 by the natives, he and his companions attempted to 
 save themselves by swimming, but were drowned. 
 Park was well qualified for the work which he under- 
 took. His literary and scientific acquirements were 
 respectable ; and nothing can be more interesting than 
 the idea which he gives of the African forests and 
 deserts, the cities of the Bambarra, and the regions 
 watered by the Niger. Physically, he was a strong 
 man, — six feet high, and well proportioned, with a 
 pleasant countenance and plain simple manners. He 
 left a widow, three sons, and a daughter. In such 
 explorations, the treatment which one receives is very 
 various, but Park, like others, found the disposition of 
 the women uniformly benevolent, and in proof he relates 
 his own experience. When he was prohibited by the 
 King of Bambarra from crossing the Niger, and ordered 
 to pass the night in a distant village, none of the 
 inhabitants would receive him into their houses, and he 
 was preparing to lodge in the branches of a tree. 
 Exhausted with hunger and fatigue, and unprotected 
 from a storm, he was relieved by a woman returning 
 from the labours of the field. He was kindly invited 
 
64 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 to her hut, and was most carefully tended. The other 
 women lightened their labour by songs, one of which, 
 at least, must have been extempore, for Park himself 
 was the subject of it. It was sung by one of the young 
 women, the others joining in the chorus. The air was 
 sweet and plaintive ; and the words, literally translated, 
 were : " The winds roared, and the rains fell. The 
 poor white man, faint and weary, came and sat under 
 our tree. He has no mother to bring him milk ; no 
 ^vife to grind his corn. CJwrus, — Let us pity the white 
 man ; no mother has he, &c. &c." These words were 
 put into verse by the Duchess of Devonshire, and set 
 to music by Ferrari, in the following song : 
 
 " The wild wind roar'd, the rain fell fast ; 
 The white man yielded to the blast : 
 He sat him down beneath our tree ; 
 For weary, sad, and faint was he ; 
 And ah ! no wife or mother's care 
 For him the corn or milk prepare. 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 " The white man shall our pity share: 
 Alas ! no wife or mother's care 
 For Mm the milk or corn prepare. 
 
 The storm is o'er, the tempest past ; 
 And mercy's voice has hushed the blast ; 
 The wind is heard in whispers low, 
 The white man far away must go : — 
 But ever in his heart will bear 
 Eemembrance of the negro's care. 
 
 CJwrus. 
 
 " Go, white man, go ; hut with thee hear 
 Hie negro's wish, the negro's prayer ; 
 Bememhrance of the negro's care." 
 
 John Louis Burckhardt was descended from a 
 
FOKMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 65 
 
 respectable family in Basle, and was born in 1794. As 
 he was unwilling to enter into the service of his country, 
 at that time oppressed by France, after having com- 
 pleted his studies at Leipsic and Gottingen, he went to 
 London in 1806, when the African Association wished 
 to make a new attempt to explore Africa, from the 
 north to the interior, in the way already traversed by 
 Hornemann. They received Burckhardt's proposal to 
 undertake this journey in 1808. He now studied the 
 manners of the East, and the Arabian language, in 
 their purest school at Aleppo. He remained two 
 years and a half in Syria ; visited Palmyra, Damascus, 
 Lebanon, and other regions ; after which he went to 
 Cairo, in order to proceed with a caravan through the 
 northern part of Africa to Fezzan. ]n 1812 he per- 
 formed a journey up the Nile, almost to Dongola, and 
 afterwards, in the character of a poor trader and a Turk 
 of Syria, proceeded through the deserts of Nubia (where 
 Bruce had travelled before him), under great hardships, 
 to Berbera and Shendy, as far as Suakem on the Ked 
 Sea, whence he proceeded through Jidda to Mecca. 
 He was so well initiated into the knowledge of the 
 language and manners of the Arabians, that when a 
 doubt arose concerning his Islamism, he was, after 
 having passed an examination in the theoretical and 
 practical parts of the Mahometan faith, acknowledged 
 by two learned jurists as being not only a very faithful, 
 but a very learned Mussulman. In 1815 he returned 
 to Cairo, and afterwards visited Sinai. Just before the 
 arrival of a long-expected caravan, he died at Cairo, 
 April ]5, 1817. The Mahometans performed his 
 obsequies with the greatest splendour. He had pre- 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 viously sent home all his journals. His last thoughts 
 were devoted to his mother. He was the first modern 
 traveller who succeeded in penetrating to Shendy in 
 the interior of Sudan, the Meroe of antiquity (still, as 
 it was three thousand years ago, the depot of trade for 
 Eastern Africa), and in furnishing exact information of 
 the slave-trade in that quarter. He found articles of 
 European fabric, such as the Zellingen sword-blades, 
 at the great fair of Shendy. His travels in Nubia 
 were published by the African Association in 1819, and 
 there was included an account of his researches in the 
 interior of Africa. In 1822 his Travels in Syria was 
 published, and in 1829 his travels in Arabia. In 1880 
 another volume from his papers appeared, entitled 
 ' Manners and Customs of the Egyptians.' 
 
 Jaimes Kingston Tuckey was born in 1778, at 
 Greenhill, in the county of Cork. He entered the 
 navy at an early age, went to India in 1794, was 
 employed in surveying the coast of New South Wales, 
 was taken prisoner by the French in 1805, and remained 
 in captivity till 1814. He was then selected to com- 
 mand the expedition for exploring the Kiver Congo, 
 and died in Africa in 1816. He was the author of 
 ' Maritime Geography and Statistics,' in four vols., 
 WTitten during his imprisonment, besides narratives of 
 his voyages to Australia and Congo. 
 
 Frederic Conrad Hornemann was born in 1772, at 
 Hildesheim, and became a divinity student at Gottingen. 
 He received a clerical appointment in Hanover ; but 
 an ardent desire to visit the interior of Africa induced 
 him, in 1795, to request Blumenbach to recommend 
 him to the African Society in London. Being accepted 
 
FORMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 67 
 
 by the Society, tie visited Cyprus and Alexandria, and 
 remained several months in Cairo, to learn the lan- 
 guage of the Maugrabins, or Southern Arabians. The 
 French having landed in Egypt, he was, like all other 
 Europeans, detained in the castle at Cairo, that he 
 might escape the rage of the people. Bonaparte, 
 being informed of his plans, gave him passports, and 
 showed a disposition to promote his objects in every 
 possible way. On the 5th of September, he left Cairo with 
 the caravan of Fezzan. On the 8th he entered the Libyan 
 desert, reached Siouah on the 16th, and arrived, after a 
 tedious journey of seventy-four days, at Murzuk, the 
 capital of Eezzan. He remained there for some time, 
 and made an excursion to Tripoli, which he left in 
 January 1800, and, on the 12th of April following, he 
 wrote that he was about to start on a journey with the 
 great caravan of Bornu. From that time nothing 
 certain was known of him till 1818, when Von Zach, in 
 his * Correspondance Astronomique,' intimated that he 
 had ascertained that Hornemann liad died on his 
 return from Tripoli to Fezzan, of fever, and lay 
 buried at Aucalus. His journal, written in German, was 
 translated and published by the African Society in 1802, 
 that having been sent home before his decease. 
 
 John Campbell had been in business in Edinburgh, 
 and had become a Christian minister in London. He 
 was an eminently good and useful man, and earnestly 
 interested in the missionary enterprise. His travels in 
 Africa were undertaken at the instance of the London 
 Missionary Society. His qualifications were his strong 
 common sense, and his deep interest in the welfare of 
 his fellow-men. He passed through the localities 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 which he visited with the open eyes of an intelligent 
 observer, adding to our geography and our knowledge 
 of natural history, while the suavity of his manners 
 and his tact made him many friends among the chiefs 
 and the people. He had great influence with the 
 noted Africaner, and it was he who arranged for 
 Moffat's mission to the Kuruman. 
 
 Captain Hugh Clapperton was born in Annan, 
 Dumfriesshire, in 1788. After some elementary instruc- 
 tion in practical mathematics, he was bound apprentice, 
 at the age of thirteen, to the owner of a vessel trading 
 between Liverpool and North America, and he made 
 several voyages. He was then impressed into the 
 royal navy, and, becoming midshipman, served on the 
 American lakes in 1815-16, and received the commission 
 of lieutenant. Having returned to Scotland, he became 
 acquainted with Dr. Oudney, who was about to embark 
 for Africa, and requested permission to accompany him. 
 The expedition, consisting of Clapperton, Denham, and 
 Oudney, after several excursions by its individual 
 members, started from Murzuk in November 1822, 
 and arrived at Lake Tsad on the 4th of the following 
 February, a distance of eight hundred miles. Six days 
 afterwards Clapperton set out with Dr. Oudney on an 
 expedition to Soccatoo, the capital of Houssa. Dr. 
 Oudney died on the way. Clapperton was not per- 
 mitted to pursue his journey to the full extent of his 
 purpose, and returned to England in 1825. This joint 
 expedition collected important information, and enabled 
 Europeans to judge more accurately in respect to the 
 people of Inner Africa. On his return to England, 
 Clapperton was made captain, and immediately engaged 
 
FOEMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 69 
 
 for another expedition to the Bight of Benin. He left 
 Badagry in December 1825, accompanied by Captain 
 Pearce and Doctor Morrison, who both perished a short 
 time after leaving the coast. Clapperton went on, 
 accompanied only by his faithful servant, Lander. At 
 Xatunga he was within thirty miles of the Niger, but 
 was not permitted to visit it. Continuing his journey 
 north, he reached Kano, and then proceeded westward 
 to Soccatoo, the residence of his old friend Bello. 
 Bello refused to allow him to proceed to Bornu, and 
 detained him for a length of time in his capital. This 
 detention seems to have arisen from the fact that a 
 war was at the time being carried on between Bello and 
 the Sheikh of Bornu. There were also intrigues by 
 the Pacha of Tripoli, who insinuated that the English 
 intended the conquest of Africa, as they had already 
 conquered India. Clapperton was grievously disap- 
 pointed ; he became depressed, and died of dysentery 
 on the 13th of April, 1827, at Chungary, a village four 
 miles from Soccatoo. 
 
 KiCHARD Landee, the explorer of the course of the 
 Niger, was at first the servant of Captain Clapperton, 
 whom he accompanied in his second expedition into 
 the interior of Africa. He started from the Bight of 
 Benin with his master, after whose death at Soccatoo 
 (April 13, 1827) he returned to the coast. His journal 
 is published with Clapperton's. In the spring of 1830 
 he set out with his brother John on an exploratory 
 expedition, and was landed at Badagry, on the 25th of 
 March, ^vllellce he intended to proceed to Lake Tsad. He 
 died on the 2nd of February, 1834, at Fernando Po, of 
 wounds received from the natives. The British Govern- 
 
70 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 ment granted a pension of £70 a year to his widow, and 
 of £50 a year to his infant daughter. 
 
 Geokge Francis Lyon was a native of Chichester, 
 and was educated at Dr. Burney's naval academy at 
 Gosport. After having served with distinction for 
 some years in the navy, he obtained an appointment 
 under Government for exploring the interior of Africa. 
 In 1821, Captain Lyon published his journal, *A 
 Narrative of Travels in Northern Africa, accompanied 
 by Geographical Notices of Sudan, and of the Course 
 of the Niger.' He was accompanied by Mr. Joseph 
 Eitchie, a young man of great attainments and much 
 promise. He was a native of Otley, in Yorksliire, and 
 died of fever at Murzuk, on the 19th of November, 
 1819. Lyon continued his explorations alone, after 
 having lost his companion, suffering many hardships 
 and much illness. The journeys of these travellers 
 confirmed previous discoveries, but added to them 
 little that was new. Captain Lyon, returning to his 
 own proper profession, had command of one of the 
 ships in the expedition to the Northern Seas, under 
 Captain Parry, in 1821-23. He died at sea at the 
 early age of thirty-seven. 
 
 Alexander Gordon Laing was born at Edinburgh 
 in 1794, and was educated at the university of that 
 city. He obtained an ensigncy in the York Light 
 Infantry, which regiment he joined at once at Antigua. 
 Two years afterwards he was promoted to a lieutenancy 
 in the same corps, which he held till the regiment was 
 reduced, and he was placed upon half-pay. After 
 various changes, inasmuch as he always preferred active 
 service, he was sent in 1822, by Sir Charles McCarthy, 
 
FORMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 71 
 
 on an embassy to Gambia and the Mandingo ' country, 
 to ascertain the political state of those districts, the 
 disposition of the inhabitants to trade, and their senti- 
 ments in regard to the abolition of the slave-trade. 
 He was thus led to take a deeper interest than before 
 in Africa and its people. He executed his mission to 
 the satisfaction of those who had appointed him, and 
 was afterwards sent on an embassy for the purpose of 
 procuring the liberation of a chief in friendly relations 
 with the British, who was held a prisoner by Yarradee, 
 a warrior of the king of Soolima. On arriving at the 
 camp of the Soolima army, he was informed that 
 Sannassee had been set at liberty, after his town had 
 been burnt, and that his life had been spared only 
 from the fear of offending the British governor. While 
 upon this mission he had observed that many of the 
 men who accompanied the Soolima army possessed 
 considerable quantities of gold; and having learned 
 that ivory abounded in Soolima, he suggested to the 
 governor the advantages which would result to the 
 colony from the opening up of intercourse with these 
 people, intimating his opinion that the effort would 
 not be attended with much hazard or expense, and 
 that a great object would be attained in the knowledge 
 of many countries to the eastward of the colony, of 
 which, like that of the Soolimas, little was known 
 besides the name. This susfo'estion was submitted to 
 the council, who approved of the undertaking, and left 
 it to Laing's own judgment to carry out his plan. 
 His third mission, upon which he started from Sierra 
 Leone on the 16th of April, 1822, led him to penetrate 
 through a far more extensive tract of country than 
 
72 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 before, much of it previously unexplored. During his 
 absence he was promoted to the rank of captain. It 
 was immediately after his return that he was ordered 
 to join his regiment on the Gold Coast, where he was 
 employed in the command of a considerable native 
 force on the frontier of the Ashantee country, and was 
 frequently engaged with detachments of the Ashantee 
 army. On the death of Sir Charles McCarthy, in 1824, 
 Captain Laing was sent to England to acquaint the 
 Government with the state of the command in Africa. 
 He obtained a short leave of absence., and revisited 
 Scotland, and, returning to London in October 1824, 
 an opportunity presented itself, which he had long 
 desired, of proceeding, under the auspices of Govern- 
 ment on an expedition to discover the termination and 
 course of the Niger. He was promoted to the rank of 
 major, and left London on that enterprise early in 
 February 1825, intending to leave Tripoli for Tim- 
 buktu in the course of the summer. At Trij)oli he 
 married the daughter of the British consul at that 
 place, and two days afterwards proceeded on his mission. 
 On the 18lh of August, 1826, he reached Timbuktu. 
 On the 21st of September, he wrote a short letter to 
 his wife and her father from that place, but it was 
 brought to them only after his decease. It had been 
 left behind him when he started from Timbuktu for 
 Sego, with instructions that it should be forwarded to 
 its destination. Along with it was brought a document 
 in Arabic, in which Sultan Ahmad, the sovereign of 
 those countries, instructed Osman, his lieutenant- 
 governor, to prevent the further progress of the 
 traveller. Osman was obliged to obey his instructions. 
 
FORMER AFRICAN TRAVELLERS. 73 
 
 He therefore engaged a sheikh of the Arabs of the 
 Desert, named Barbooshi, to go out with the Christian, 
 and protect him as far as the town of Arwan. The 
 sheikh accordingly went with him from Timbuktu, 
 but on arriving at his own residence he treacherously 
 murdered him, and took possession of all his property. 
 It is believed by many, however, that Laing's own 
 confidential attendant was the murderer. But, in either 
 case, thus perished, in the full vigour of manhood, this 
 brave and enterprising traveller. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Dixon Denham was born in 
 1786. After finishing his education he was placed 
 with a solicitor, but in 1811 entered the army, and 
 served in the Peninsular campaigns. In 1823, he was 
 engaged with Captain Clapperton and Doctor Oudney 
 in exploring the central regions of Africa. His courage, 
 address, firmness, perseverance, and moderation, his 
 bold, frank, energetic disposition, and his conciliating 
 manners, peculiarly fitted him for such an undertaking. 
 He published a narrative of his discoveries carefully 
 prepared. He went in 1826 to Sierra Leone, as super- 
 intendent of the liberated Africans, and in 1828 was 
 appointed lieutenant-governor of the colony. On the 
 9th of June in the same year he died of fever, after an 
 illness of a few days. An eye-witness says of him, 
 " He had escaped the dangers of battle and travel, the 
 field of Waterloo and the deserts of Africa. He 
 returned here to rest, after his many perils and enter- 
 prises, and he now rests in his silent grave. He was 
 interred with all the military honours of a soldier, and 
 with the still more precious tribute of tears and sorrow 
 poured over his grave." 
 
74 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EECENT AFEICAN EXPLOEATJONS. 
 
 Geeat additions have been made within the last fifteen 
 or twenty years to our knowledge of Africa ; but our 
 inlormatiou respecting that vast region is still devoid of 
 the fulness and precision which we possess in regard to 
 other lands. The mysterious interior of the African 
 continent has, however, been penetrated at numerous 
 points, and the comparison of any good recent map of 
 this portion of the world with one of older date at 
 once shows the extent and the importance of the 
 results of the travels of recent explorers. At the same 
 time, it shows how much still remains to the efforts of 
 the time which is to come. 
 
 The great rivers are connecting links between the- 
 journeys of individual explorers, and three among them 
 have served, especially, to guide the course of modern 
 discovery — the Nile, the Niger, and the Zambesi. 
 
 The Nile has long been a problem in African geo- 
 graphy. Bruce visited the sources of the Bine Nile, or 
 Bahr-el-Azrek, in 1770, a Portuguese traveller having 
 anticipated him in the enterprise about a century and 
 a half. But the discoveries of the earlier traveller had 
 in great part been lost. The source of the White Nile, 
 
EECENT AFRICAN EXPLOEATIONS. 75 
 
 Bahr-el-Abiad, remained a subject of inquiry. This 
 was beyond doubt the longer arm of the river. At 
 the instance of the Pasha of Egypt, efforts were made 
 towards discovery in 1839, and again in 1841. In the 
 former of those years, the Egyptian expedition ascended 
 the river to a point stated as within 3° 35' of the 
 equator. This was subsequently removed by M. 
 d'Arnaud, w^ho accompanied the expedition of 1841, 
 to lat. 6° 35' N. Missionary labours and commercial 
 enterprise had mean^Ahile extended the range of 
 inquiry in this region. The Koman Catholic mission- 
 aries established at Gondokoro (lat. 4° 50') in 1853-9 
 had examined the river up to lat. 3° N. ; and European 
 merchants, engaged in the ivory trade, had established 
 depots lying as far to the southward. But beyond 
 the third parallel of N. lat. the maps remained a 
 blank. 
 
 Dr. Beke was among the first to suggest the eastern 
 coast, within a few degrees of the equator, as the 
 locality which might be most advantageously explored 
 with a view to the determination of the limit of the 
 Nile basin, and of ultimately reaching the sources 
 themselves. There were several causes contributing to 
 the direction of attention to that quarter. The Church 
 Missionary Society had fixed a mission at Mombas, or the 
 neighbourhood (lat. 4° S.) ; the missionaries came into 
 intercourse with the numerous Arab traders frequenting 
 Mombas and other ports on that line of coast, and 
 received from them accounts of a great lake situated at 
 some distance in the interior. Mr. Eebmann and Dr. 
 Krapf therefore made various journeys in 1847, and 
 the two succeeding years, and obtained a knowledge 
 
76 
 
 AFETCA. 
 
 of different districts lying between the parallels of 3° 
 and 5° S., extending inland to a direct distance of 
 probably two hundred miles from the Indian Ocean. 
 They saw the mountain Kilimanjaro, the summit of 
 which was covered with snow, its altitude being he.^.ce 
 concluded to be not less than twenty thousand feet 
 above the level of the sea. There were other and 
 perhaps loftier mountains recognised as occurring within 
 the. same region, particularly one to which the name of 
 Kenia is given, to the northwards of Kilimanjaro. The 
 existence of snow-clad mountains in such near prox- 
 imity to the equator has excited considerable interest. 
 These observations have been confirmed by subsequent 
 travellers, and particularly by Baron von Decken 
 (18(30-1), a native of Hanover, who, starting from 
 Mombas and proceeding thence southwards along the 
 coast to Wanga, struck from there into the interior, 
 and, crossing the Ugono and Aruscha ranges (the latter 
 four thousand feet high), reached the loftier region to 
 whicli Kilimanjaro belongs. The Baron made two 
 ascents of Kilimanjaro, and upon one of these occasions 
 reached the height of thirteen thousand nine hundred 
 feet. At the height of eleven thousand feet, snow, 
 mixed with rain, appeared to have fallen during the 
 night, and to have melted with the morning sun, up 
 to an elevation of probably seventeen thousand feet. 
 Baron von Decken's triangulations give an altitude of 
 twenty thousand and sixty-five feet, as the height of the 
 main peak of Kilimanjaro. 
 
 The intelligence gained by the missionaries respect- 
 ing great lakes in the interior confirmed conclusions 
 which had already been arrived at by geographers, 
 
KECENT AFRICAN EXPLORATIONS. 77 
 
 and therefore naturall)^ excited rouch interest. Captain 
 Burton — an officer of the Indian army, and already 
 famih'ar with Indian travel from the experience of a 
 journey in 1854-5 to the kingdom of Harar, lying 
 inland from the upper extremity of the Gulf of Aden — 
 therefore proposed to the Eoyal Geographical Society 
 a project for opening up the lake regions of interior 
 Africa to the south of the equator. That learned body 
 approved of his scheme, which the British Government 
 sanctioned, and in favour of which it made a pecuniary 
 grant. Captain Burton was accompanied by Captain 
 Speke, a fellow officer of the Indian army, and his 
 companion at Berbera, on the coast of the Somauli 
 country, in 1854. Zanzibar, off the coast of Eastern 
 Africa, was the point of their departure, at the end of 
 June 1857. The details of their expedition will be 
 found in subsequent pages. 
 
 This journey of Burton and Speke in 1857-9 led to 
 the later expedition of Speke and Grant in 1861-2. 
 Immediately on his discovery of the Nyanza Lake, a 
 body of sweet water, found within a few degrees south 
 of the equator, and at an elevation of between three 
 thousand and four thousand feet above the sea, Speke 
 came to the conclusion that this would prove the head 
 water of the Nile. The Geographical Society aided 
 him in the equipment of a new expedition for the 
 purpose of solving the problem. He was accompanied 
 by Captain Grant, another officer of the Bengal army. 
 They left England in 1860, and started from Zanzibar 
 for the interior in October of the same year, pursuing 
 the route taken by the former expedition as far as 
 Unyanyembe. Being much delayed on their journey 
 
78 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 by many untoward occurrences, they were unable to 
 leave Kazeh in Unyanyembe until September 1861. 
 From this point they took a new route to the north- 
 west, passing through the districts of Usinsa and 
 Karagire, the latter a highland region, and crossing the 
 Kitangule Kiver, went on to Mashonde (lat. 50' 8.) in 
 the upper parts of the Uganda country. Here, on this 
 journey, was obtained the first view of the Nyanza. 
 This is more than a hundred and sixty miles in a 
 direct line from the point at which Captain Speke had 
 previously reached the lake. Speke prefers to call this 
 great body of water — considerably exceeding in propor- 
 tions those of Lake Superior — by the name of Victoria 
 Nyanza. The travellers proceeded round the north- 
 west, and part of the north coast of the lake, through 
 a country composed of low sandstone hills, streaked by 
 small streams — the effect of almost constant rains — 
 and grown over with gigantic grass, except in places 
 which are under cultivation. North of the equator 
 the landscape presented the same features, but with an 
 increase of beauty. The Mweranga and the Luajerri, 
 two rivers of moderate dimensions, flowing to the north, 
 were crossed, and further to the east the Nile itself, 
 described as issuing from the lake by a passage over 
 rocks of an igneous character, with a descent of twelve 
 feet immediately below, forming what the explorer 
 calls the Eipon Falls." At this point the coast-line 
 of the lake was abandoned, and the stream of the river 
 followed downward to the Karuma Falls (lat. 2° 20' K), 
 the course of it lying at first through sandstone hills, 
 among which it rushes with great force, afterwards 
 passing over long flats, where it has the aspect of a 
 
RECENT AFRICAN EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 79 
 
 lake rather than a river. The prevalence of wai's 
 prevented the continuance of the track along the course 
 of the stream immediately below the Kariima Falls, 
 and therefore the river was left for a time ; but Speke, 
 continuing his route to the north-west, again came upon 
 it in the Madi country (lat. 3° 40' N.), where ''it still 
 bore the unmistakable character of the Nile — long 
 flats, long rapids." From this point the Nile flows 
 northwards, and a little below receives a considerable 
 affluent, the Asua Kiver, and continues the same general 
 course. At Gondokoro (lat. 4° 50' N.) the expedition 
 met Baker. They were now upon known ground. They 
 had reached Gondokoro in February 1863, more than 
 twenty-eight months after having left Zanzibar. 
 
 Captain Speke was detained five months at Uganda, 
 waiting for his companion, who had been left behind on 
 account of illness at Karagwe. Mr. Petherick, who had 
 been despatched from England with well-appointed 
 means to ascend the Nile valley, in order to aid in the 
 accomplishment of the main purpose of the expedition, 
 did not arrive at Gondokoro till after Speke and 
 Grant had also reached that point in their return course. 
 He therefore accomplished nothing at this time in the 
 way of geographical discovery. On a previous occasion 
 he had partially examined the Bahr-el-Ghazal, a 
 western affluent of the Nile, joining it about lat. 9° 10' 
 N., and had by that means added to our knowledge 
 of the river. Madame Tinne and her daughter, 
 accompanied by Dr. Heuglin, a German savant, under- 
 took the examination of the Bahr-el-Ghazal basin, at 
 a later date, but they accomplished nothing. Their 
 worthy attempt alone is worthy of record. 
 
80 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 The results of Captain Speke's expedition, though of 
 great value to geography, even regarding his later 
 travels, are not final in respect to the sources of the 
 Nile. Neither the Victoria nor the Albert Nyanza 
 can claim to be the head of that great river. The 
 picture of social life which is presented by Captain 
 Speke is in the least degree unattractive. The native 
 kingdoms bordering these lakes are sunk in a condition 
 of great barbarism, and present an aspect of things 
 which for the present discourages the idea of inter- 
 course with these people. We shall have occasion 
 again to refer to Captain Speke's explorations. 
 
 To the southward the course of recent African dis- 
 covery has been chiefly in connection with the valley of 
 the Kiver Zambesi and the affluents to its extensive basin. 
 The results realised in this direction are mainly due to 
 the energy of Dr. Livingstone, and an account of his 
 journeys will subsequently be given more at large. 
 
 For nearly three-quarters of a century, the countries 
 w^atered bv the Nisrer have offered an invitinof field 
 for African travel and discovery. Particulars have 
 already been stated in respect to earlier efforts. The 
 work of the Landers has also been spoken of. Laird 
 and Oldfield, in 1833, ascended the river, accompanied 
 by Mr. William Allen, who executed a survey of 
 it from the sea up to some distance above the point 
 where it is joined on the eastern bank by the great 
 stream formerly known as Chadda, but since called 
 Benue. In later years there have been repeated 
 ascents of the Lower Niofer, and also of the stream 
 known as Old Calabar, at which point most' devoted 
 and self-sacrificing missionary efforts have been made 
 
KECENT AFIUCAN EXPLORATIONS. 81 
 
 by the United Presbyterian Church, guided by Dr. 
 Waddell and others. Much valuable life has been 
 terminated in this peculiar mission. The Niger ex- 
 pedition of 1841, fitted out by the British Government 
 for philanthropic purposes, with a view to the suppres- 
 sion of the slave-trade, proved an utter failure, and 
 was also attended by great loss of life. But the 
 feasibility of navigating the Lower Niger and Benue 
 rivers has been fully demonstrated by Dr. Baikie, who, 
 in 1854, took the steamer Pleiad up the stream to the 
 point of conjunction with the Benue, and ascended the 
 latter river to a distance of more than three hundred 
 miles above that point, or two hundred and fifty miles 
 beyond the place of stopping which was reached by 
 Allen and Oldfield in 1833. Dr. Baikie's successful 
 conduct of this enterprise induced the British Govern- 
 ment to equip a new expedition, with a view to the 
 forming of a station, alike for commercial purposes 
 and as a centre of missionary operations, at some point 
 within the basins of the Lower Niger and Benue. Dr. 
 Baikie left England in charge of this expedition in 
 1857, and, during the seven succeeding years, was 
 engaged in various investigations within the territory 
 to which he had been specially commissioned, as 
 well as in journeys to the kingdom of Kano and the 
 high grounds dividing the basin ot the Niger from that 
 of Lake Tsad. Dr. Baikie died on his return to Eng- 
 land, in 1864, and much of the result of his expedition 
 perished with him. 
 
 The voyage of the Pleiad was supplementary in 
 some measure to the purposes of an exploration of 
 Central Africa by overland journey through the desert, 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 conducted at the expense of the British Government by 
 Mr. Eichardson, Dr. Barth, and Mr. Overweg. Of this 
 exj)edition details are furnished in a later page. 
 
 Captain Bedingfield organised a fresh expedition to 
 the Congo, in 1864, with a view to the exploration of 
 its upper course. There was no difficulty in the navi- 
 gation of the river for upwards of one hundred miles. 
 Beyond that point there are formidable rapids, through 
 which the stream rushes between high rochs. These 
 form a great impediment ; but beyond them the Congo 
 is again a noble stream. 
 
 The researches of M. du Chaillu are scarcely within 
 our province. That gentleman travelled in Africa for 
 his own pleasure, in 1856-9, within a tract of country 
 extending two degrees on either side of the equator, 
 and adjoining the mouth of the Gaboon Eiver, upon the 
 western side of the African Continent. His natural 
 history is doubted in respect to the gorilla and other 
 animals. He is now again in Africa, seeking to 
 confirm his former observations, and also, it is to be 
 presumed, endeavouring to promote his own personal 
 pleasure, by familiarity with these wilds — pleasure 
 which in such circumstances occupies, many times, the 
 scale w^hich ranges between pleasure and pain. In 
 1861-2, Captain Burton increased his manifold claims 
 to gratitude on account of African discovery by a care- 
 ful examination of some of the smaller rivers that enter 
 the Bight of Benin, and also by the ascent of the lofty 
 Cameroons Mountain, a volcano not yet wholly extinct, 
 which he identifies with the Theoa Ochema of Hanno's 
 Periplas. The highest point of the mountain, according 
 to his observation, is upwards of thirteen thousand feet 
 
RECENT AFRICAN EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 83 
 
 above the level of the sea. The elevated regions of 
 the Cameroons are covered every morning, even 
 during the hot season, with a layer of hoarfrost, and 
 are well suited for the purposes of a sanitorium. 
 
 Probably the gain of modern travel in the southern 
 half of Africa has been more remarkable in regard to the 
 physical conforroation of the continent than in any 
 other particular. Instead of the high plateau-lands 
 which it was long supposed to constitute, the interior 
 appears to exhibit a series of watered plains, but 
 moderately elevated above the level of the sea, and 
 bordered on either hand by ranges of higher ground, 
 through openings between which the waters of the inte- 
 rior reach the ocean upon either side. The numerous 
 lake basins, already ascertained to exist within the 
 eastern interior, to the south of the equator, constitute 
 one of the most important features of modern geo- 
 graphy, and one that stands most in contrast with the 
 popular conceptions of a region generally associated 
 with the intensest conditions of heat and aridity. But 
 much is yet wanting to give anything like an approach 
 to completeness of knowledge in regard to the African 
 Continent. 
 
84 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 THE CAPE COLONY, KAFFKELAND, AND GRIQUALAND. 
 
 The special expeditions, the particular details of which 
 are given in these pages, and in which the public mind 
 is most deeply interested, having all of them been to 
 unexplored or little known parts of Africa, it is necessary 
 to introduce our account of them by a brief statement 
 respecting those portions of the continent with which 
 our minds have been longer more or less familiar. 
 This is desirable in order to completeness, and for the 
 purpose of contemplating Africa as a whole. 
 
 There is, perhaps, no part of the world in modern 
 times, and certainly no part of the British dominions, 
 which has made less progress than the Cape Colony. 
 Under that designation are included two vast districts, 
 known as the western and eastern provinces, extending 
 from Table Bay at the south-western extremity, as far 
 as the Orange Eiver and the Kei to the northward. 
 This territory is larger than any European country, 
 but its inhabitants, taking them in the aggregate, do 
 not exceed six hundred thousand. The Cape Colony 
 was originally a Dutch settlement, but became a 
 British dependency in 1806. It was long a favourite 
 refuge for the Huguenot emigrants ; and although the 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFRELAND, GRIQUALAND. 85 
 
 Fi-encli languag^e ceased to be spoken, the names of 
 many of the older families bear witness to their descent. 
 Intermarriage with the Dutch settlers, and the gradual 
 adoption of their language, led to a complete fusion, 
 and the Dutch element in the Cape population has 
 been dominant for generations. These people are 
 farmers as a rule. Wine-making was the favoured 
 occupation in the districts around Cape Town until the 
 disease, which attacked the vines some years ago, put 
 a temporary stop to that industry. But latterly the 
 cultivation of the vine has been resumed, and wine- 
 making is again in the ascendant. 
 
 Until the Suez route diverted passenger traffic 
 through Egypt, Cape Town had a time of great pro- 
 jjperity as a calling-place for the Eastern shipping. Old 
 residents there look back with regret on the old days 
 when the bay was graced by the presence of many an 
 Indiaman which had put in for supplies. The harbour 
 is now better fitted for such a purpose than it was then. 
 A massive breakwater has been constructed at con- 
 siderable cost, and vessels of large tonnage find shelter 
 either behind its friendly cover, or in the dock which 
 has been added to it. Cape Town has a great charm 
 for those who reside there ; its brilliant atmosphere, 
 its genial climate, its beautiful vegetation, and the 
 great mountain which broods over the whole place, 
 combine to make it an attractive residence. Only a 
 small portion of the community really live in Cape 
 Town; the majority of the people who do business 
 there are engaged in farming, and are spread over both 
 provinces. The dwellings of these farmers are usually 
 one-storied, gable-ended, with rooms in the roof. Out- 
 
86 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 side there is a kraal for the cattle at night. There is 
 an orchard of apple, peach, pear, and orange trees 
 near the house, and not far off a garden for vegetables. 
 The fields for wheat, barley, oats, and maize are near 
 or more remote, as the exigencies of irrigation may 
 require. In the matter of irrigation sometimes con- 
 siderable skill is displayed. The family waggon is 
 sure to be close at hand. No farm, large or small, can 
 afford to do without this appendage. It is a long, 
 cumbrous machine, without springs, but strong, as it 
 needs to be. A white canvas "tent," or covering, 
 protects the interior from the elements, and in front is 
 a "waggon-box," which serves as a tool-chest and store- 
 room. Within is a frame of ox-hide, called a " cartel," 
 upon which the bedding is stretched at night. An 
 appalling whip, with a long handle of bamboo, hangs 
 at one side, its length being proportioned to that of the 
 team of fourteen oxen, usually yoked in pairs. For 
 more than two centuries tlie farmers have depended 
 upon this rude mode of transport, and have been 
 content with it. It enables them to carry to market 
 once or twice a year as much corn, butter, and other 
 farm produce, as provides them with groceries, clothing, 
 and other imported necessaries for the rest of the year. 
 With all besides, their farms, of six thousand or eight 
 thousand acres each, supply them and their families 
 from one end of the year to the other. The state of 
 society, in such circumstances, is apt to become 
 stagnant, and this explains why the Cape has not 
 made greater progress than its past history has 
 indicated. 
 
 The eastern province of the Cape Colony differs in 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFRELAND, GEIQU ALAND. 87 
 
 some respects from its western neighbour. In 1820, 
 four or five thousand settlers from Great Britain located 
 themselves in the district of Albany, near Algoa Bay, 
 on the south-eastern coast. Their presence and opera- 
 tions have led to a much more vigorous development 
 of the resources of the land, and to a larger measure 
 of general prosperity than has been attained in the 
 other provinces. These early settlers underwent many 
 privations. At one time their destitution was such 
 that Government had to grant supplies to save the 
 people from starvation. They had to bear the brunt of 
 successive Kaffre wars, and time after time have had 
 their flocks swept away, and their homesteads ravaged 
 by wild hordes of the northern barbarians. The great 
 centre of these Albany settlers was and is at Grahams- 
 town, a city of about twelve thousand inhabitants, 
 eighty miles from Algoa Bay. The latter port is also 
 a flourishing place, Avhere, in the season, long trains of 
 wool-laden waggons pour in from the interior, and help 
 the prosperity of the handsome town of Port Elizabeth. 
 
 Five years ago, what was known as British Kaffraria 
 was formally annexed to the Cape Colony. This small 
 dependency had previously had a government of its 
 own. Here has been the seat of successive Kafl're wars. 
 Within this territory rise the celebrated Anatola 
 Mountains — a natural stronghold, where many British 
 lives have been lost, but which is now traversed by 
 roads and harmonised by peaceful and prosperous set- 
 tlements. British Kaffraria has enjoyed the services 
 of some remarkable men, whose know ledge of the Kaffre 
 character has only been exceeded by the confidence 
 reposed in them by the natives, and by their zeal in 
 
88 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 promoting peaceful relations between tliem and the 
 European settlers. Foremost among them stands Mr. 
 Brownlee, on the occasion of whose removal to another 
 office, a few years ago, a most extraordinary demonstra- 
 tion of attachment and respect was made by the natives 
 of different tribes, over whom he had ruled for a 
 generation. 
 
 Throughout the whole Cape Colony there are scat- 
 tered townships of varying degrees of importance. 
 Few of these exceed in size and population the limits 
 of a small market town in England. Some of them 
 are beautifully situated, embedded amidst high and 
 craggy mountains, and embowered in oak, orange, 
 syringa, and willow trees. On the north-west of the 
 Cape Colony is NamaquaJand, which is the scene of 
 mining operations in South Africa. For many years 
 copper mines have been profitably worked here. Silver 
 has also been found in considerable quantities; and, 
 more recently, there has been a discovery of diamonds, 
 which, from all experience and report, promises to be 
 most important. These precious stones, it is believed, 
 have been brought down from the mountainous district 
 of Basutoland, in which the Orange Kiver takes its 
 rise. The gems themselves have been pronounced by 
 competent judges in this country to be of great purity 
 and value, and there is no reason to doubt that further 
 discoveries will be made, and a remunerative diamond- 
 field opened up. 
 
 In many parts of the Cape Colony there are great 
 ranges of mountains, and in others immense plains. 
 The rivers are few, and shallow except in the rainy 
 season. Now and again there are beautiful bits of 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFRELAND, GRIQU ALAND. 89 
 
 scenery along the coast ; such, for example, as at the 
 Knysna, the scene of an elephant hunt by the Duke of 
 Edinburgh. In Biitish Kaffraria wood is more abundant, 
 rivers are more frequent, and the ground is more 
 generally hilly than in other parts. Seasons of drought 
 affect the whole country, and, of course, are discouraging 
 to farmers. 
 
 To the north of the Orange Kiver, beyond the limits 
 of the Cape Colony, we find many points of special 
 interest. There is here a country, or rather a series of 
 countries, which, with the exception of Natal, is but 
 little known in Europe. The whole of these territories 
 may be said to come properly under the designation of 
 South-eastern Africa, and to travels in these lands 
 special attention is given in subsequent pages : mean- 
 while a small amount of attention may be directed to 
 certain of those parts which have not been the fields of 
 recent exploration. 
 
 Following the coast-line, between the Cape Colony 
 and Natal, there is a long and narrow strip of country 
 lying between the Indian Sea and the Kahlamba range 
 of mountains. This tract of country is occupied en- 
 tirely by native tribes, and there are few missionaries or 
 traders among them. At the extremity nearest the Cape 
 Colony the tribe of the Amagelaka resides, ruled over 
 by the great chief Kreli. Beyond are the Amaponda, 
 the people of the late chief Faku, who, through all suc- 
 cessive Kaffre wars and for a period of fifty years, re- 
 mained the staunch and friendly ally of the British 
 Government. This old chieftain could bring twenty- 
 five thousand fighting men into the field, and he was 
 continually at war with one or another of the many 
 
90 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 tribes in liis neighbourhood. He died a few years ago 
 at the age of eighty. His son shows the same friendly 
 feeling towards this country. 
 
 Adam Xok, the ruler of Griqualand, and Lis people 
 are not pure Kaffres ; they have among them a con- 
 siderable amount of civilisation, and many of them 
 have come, with their chief, under Christian influences. 
 They formerly occupied a district in the northern 
 frontier of the Cape Colony; and it being deemed 
 expedient to incorporate it with the colony, they were 
 offered their present abode by Sir George Grey, and 
 accepted the offer. Their new land consists of about 
 two million acres of the finest sheep country in South 
 Africa, lying immediately under the Kahlamba Moun- 
 tains, and possessing great capabilities for the growth 
 of corn. They are a settled community, with mission- 
 aries, and churches, and schools, living in square 
 houses, and presenting many evidences of the civilising 
 influence of the Christian relis^ion. 
 
 Griqualand is succeeded by Xatal, which is well 
 known, and of which, therefore, we may say the less. 
 In 1838 there was a great expatriation of Dutch farmers 
 from the Cape Colony, and a large number of those 
 self-exiled people settled down in what is now Xatal. 
 They entered the country from the interior, and to 
 their eyes and minds, tired of long wanderings 
 in untrodden and pathless wildernesses, the fair scene 
 which spread before them from the top of the Kahlamba 
 Mountains must have seemed like a promised land. 
 But not long did they enjoy their independence. The 
 territory was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1843, and 
 these Dutch settlers again migrated to the northward. 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFRELAND, GRIQUALAND. 91 
 
 and founded what is now known as the South African or 
 Transvaal Hepublic. 
 
 Natal is not much larger than Scotland, but its 
 products represent the world. Perhaps no country can 
 boast of so wide a range of resources as this small 
 south-east African state. Amongst the exports we find 
 sugar, coffee, cotton, tobacco, and arrowroot, by the side 
 of wool, barley, oats, beans and peas, butter, bacon, 
 fruit, potatoes, soap, tallow, hides, and spirits, and in 
 conjunction with such purely local products as ostrich 
 feathers, wild beast skins and ivory, which are brought 
 from the far interior. The manifold and somewhat 
 incongruous character of these resources can be traced 
 to distinct physical causes ; the position and the climatic 
 influences of the country explain the character of its 
 productions and its commerce. After thirty years of 
 existence as a British colony, the European population 
 of Natal is only about eighteen thousand, and its trade 
 represents a value of about £270,000 for imports, and 
 £230,000 for exports. But the early years of any 
 colony are usually the most trying in its history. The 
 colonists exhibit a rare attachment to the land of their 
 adoption. People who have lived in Natal, wherever 
 they may be, or may afterwards wander, look back with 
 a singular liking and longing for the free social atmo- 
 sphere, pleasant climate, and beautiful surroundings of 
 that southern land. From April to September, the 
 winter months, the air, as a rule, is warm and sunny 
 during the day, and often keen and frosty at night. 
 The summer-time is less pleasant by the recurrence 
 of many days of excessive heat, by ^frequent storms, and 
 by greater uncertainty of the weather. The winter 
 
92 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 much resembles that of Central Italy ; the summer is 
 more tropical in its character. There are several dis- 
 tinct races of men living side by side in the colony. 
 The first are the aboriginal natives. The first known 
 occupants of the soil were Kaffres ; but of these few 
 remain. In the beginning of the present century, the 
 wars which afflicted the country led to the flight, 
 destruction, or expulsion of the natives of Natal. Since 
 the occupation of the country by the British, however, 
 a constant influx of natives from other territories has 
 taken place. There are now probably two hundred 
 and thirty thousand Kaffres living within the colony. 
 Natal presents the interesting spectacle rarely to be 
 witnessed, of heathen barbarians living amongst, and in 
 constant contact with, a white race, without hostility 
 between the two, and without a gradual process of 
 extinction between the two. Coal is foimd, not in 
 small quantity, nor of inferior quality, in various parts 
 of the colony, as also is iron, which, from early times, 
 has been smelted by the natives. 
 
 Beyond Natal is Zululand. Delagoa Bay is generally 
 regarded as marking the northern limits of this terri- 
 tory. We have not heard much respecting this country, 
 and yet it is large, rich, and tempting, and visited 
 every year by large numbers of British traders. 
 Zululand is in many respects a modified counterpart 
 of Natal. It is a broken and hilly country, very 
 beautiful, with an area of about twenty-two thousand 
 square miles. It was famous for its herds till pleuro- 
 pneumonia devastated South Africa, and even yet many 
 cattle are exported from it. The population is rapidly 
 decreasing. In some districts one may travel for miles 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFRELAND, GRIQUALAND. 93 
 
 without seeing a kraal, or other vestige of human life. 
 A pure and simple despotism reigns there, and life is 
 held cheap. In these regions it is noteworthy that 
 the supremacy of the British Government is recognised, 
 although it makes no claim to lordship. In all cases 
 of political difficulty it is the common practice to ask 
 the advice of the colonial authorities in Natal. The 
 people speak of the Governor of Natal as their father, 
 sending him presents of elephants' tusks, or other 
 tokens of friendship. The influence of the missionaries 
 in Zululand has also contributed to the better regard 
 of human life. The enormous tusks of ivory formed a 
 conspicuous feature in the exhibition of South-east 
 African produce, at the Paris Exhibition. Mr. Theo- 
 philus Shepstone had obtained a thorough knowledge 
 of the native character, in the course of a lifetime 
 passed in the service of the Queen, and contributed 
 much to the establishment of this good understanding 
 between parties. 
 
 Beyond Zululand are the Portuguese settlements. 
 Vasco da Gama's discoveries along this coast of Africa 
 were at once followed up by several ventures of coloni- 
 sation and conquest on the part of the Portuguese. 
 Attention was directed to those distant and mythical 
 shores by the reputed existence of gold in great 
 quantities, and more than one expedition was fitted out 
 on a gigantic scale for the pur^^ose of searching for, 
 and taking possession of, the reputed El Dorado. Most 
 of these movements failed. Fever, the lack of food, 
 and the hostility of the natives, were obstacles that 
 were never surmounted, and the traditionary Ophir 
 was never reached. But gold was obtained by the 
 
94 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 natives, and on to the present time they have brought 
 it from unknown regions, stovyed away in quills, as a 
 means of barter. In due time the Portuguese found a 
 source of wealth, not in gold-mines, but in the slave- 
 trade, which, sanctioned by a Papal bull, has become 
 the leading traffic of the East African coast. The 
 Portuguese gradually abandoned all attempts at coloni- 
 sation. All traces of their settlements cease within a 
 few miles of the shore, except where the depopulated 
 lands and wasted homes present sad tokens of their 
 presence. The Portuguese domination has been the 
 blight of East Africa. It has all but sealed up the 
 coast to everything but the brutality and rapacity of 
 the men who have made the name of their country a 
 byword in these seas, and who have prostituted to the 
 vilest ends the monopoly which they have enjoyed. 
 The British have made repeated attempts to open up 
 legitimate trading connections with the Portuguese 
 ports, but have failed. Vessels have been seized, 
 trading parties stopped, property confiscated, and the 
 traders themselves imprisoned or detained at these 
 centres of lawlessness. Around these places the natives 
 are more demoralised than in any other part of Africa, 
 European vices being engrafted on the baser passions 
 of heathenism. Moral and social obligations are 
 trampled down, and the white race, which ought to be the 
 type of a higher and purer form of life, is degraded and 
 made hateful in the eyes of the aborigines. Dr. Living- 
 stone bears testimony that while Euglish influence on 
 the West Coast had been most successful in putting 
 down the slave-trade, in spite of vast expenditure the 
 efforts of the Imperial Government and its squadron 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFRELAND, GEIQUALAND. 95 
 
 on those eastern coasts had been comparatively abortive. 
 There is a Portuguese trade on the east coast in ivory, 
 gums, feathers, skins, oil, woods, fibre, and even cotton ; 
 but the most considerable traffic has been in human 
 flesh. This fact obstructs all attempts at civilisation 
 and Christianisation as made from the coast. 
 
 Beyond the northern boundary of the Cape Colony 
 and the western border of Natal, there lie two re- 
 publics, chiefly composed of Boer families, which are of 
 Dutch extraction. The territory of these is in the 
 vicinity of the Orange Kiver. Sir George Grey says, 
 " The territory of the Orange Free State forms one of 
 the finest pastoral countries I have ever seen." The 
 climate of this region is one of the finest in South 
 Africa : the country is several thousand feet above the 
 sea-level, it enjoys a remarkably clear and keen atmo- 
 sphere, and there are few rivers or moist ground to 
 give dampness to the air. There are immense herds 
 of game, consisting of elands, quaggas, wildebeests, 
 and other antelopes, which still course over these plains, 
 although it is estimated that there are thirty-seven 
 thousand persons of European origin resident in the 
 state. 
 
 The Kaffre war of 1851-2 we need not attempt to 
 describe. It arose out of many misunderstandings, as 
 most wars do, and the result was nothing but simply a 
 proof that civilised England was able to contend with 
 savages. 
 
 The Basutos are the last group of people in these 
 parts who have been taken under the English pro- 
 tection. They are well compacted, their consolidation 
 being due to the old chief Moshesh, whose sons rule 
 
96 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 over different divisions of this powerful community. 
 Christian missions have been the means of great benefit 
 to these people. 
 
 The Transvaal Kepublic is one of the krgest territorial 
 divisions of South Africa, and covers an area of more 
 than one hundred thousand square miles. It spreads 
 over six parallels of latitude, runs up considerably within 
 the southern tropic, and is bounded on the north by 
 the Limpopo Kiver, whidi flows into the Indian Ocean, 
 just at its southern boundary. There is a wide range 
 of products. The distance from the coast, four hundred 
 miles, discourages the cultivation of grain for export ; 
 sheep-farming and cattle-breeding are the general 
 means of subsistence and wealth. But the farmers of 
 the Transvaal are a primitive race, and contented with 
 very small things. There are exceptions, but generally, 
 so long as they have enough yearly to barter at Natal 
 for the few commodities which they absolutely need, 
 their wants are satisfied, and their aspirations have 
 rest. They are devoted conscientiously to the doctrines 
 and service of the Dutch Eeformed Church. The 
 Eepublic is governed by a president, with an executive 
 council of five members, and a Yolksraad, or legislative 
 assembly, consisting of members elected by the people, 
 no qualification being required of voters except that 
 of manhood. This representative body meets twice 
 a year; the members receive fifteen shillings a day 
 for their attendance, and many of them live comfort- 
 ably during the session domiciled in their w^aggons 
 on the market square. The Kepublic does not prosper 
 as a government, but has been driiting more and more 
 for several years into anarchy and confusion. The great 
 
CAPE COLONY, KAFFKELAND, GRIQUALAND. 97 
 
 evil of which complaint has to be made against these 
 people is their encouragement of slavery. The Kaffres 
 in these parts are in the main an inoffensive people, 
 who would live quietly enough if they were allowed to 
 possess their land and cattle in security. But, at par- 
 ticular seasons, the young Boers rush out upon them, 
 killing as many as possible, letting the women go, and 
 seizing upon all the children. These they " apprentice " 
 to traders and store-keepers, who enter " the article " in 
 their bouks as black ivory," and sometimes there are 
 as many as six thousand thus enslaved in the coarse of 
 a year. Some of the Boers treat their own slaves witli 
 kindness, feeding them and clothing them, and flogging 
 them for their good, as they may be supposed to 
 require ; but kindness is the exception, and severity 
 the rule. 
 
 The great want of these governments," whether re- 
 publican or tribal, is strength — some consolidating power 
 by means of which petty wars might be suppressed 
 fairly, and without the oppression of any party. Sir 
 Philip Wodehouse has wisely and well said, after 
 observation and experience as governor in the British 
 dominion in these parts, " What is to be hoped for, in 
 my opinion, is the creation, beyond the Orange Eiver, 
 of a large and well-organised government, bound to the 
 Cape Colony only by a common allegiance, by the ties 
 of kinship, by congenial laws, by just covenants, and 
 by a common desire to extend the blessings of Chris- 
 tianity, peace, and civilisation, to all within their 
 reach." 
 
 The matter is difficult of wise arrangement ; but we 
 have, in some instances, the native inhabitants of these 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 countries threatened with speedy extinction, if no hand 
 interposes to help them ; chiefs of tribes, living far off, 
 send in urgent entreaties to be accepted as British 
 subjects ; the local governments could support them- 
 selves ; the natural resources are sufficient for all 
 luiman necessities ; the absence of navigable rivers 
 could be compensated for by railways ; the climate will 
 bear comparison with any in the world ; the position of 
 the countries in the centre of the Southern Ocean is 
 commanding; and the varieties of population would, if 
 properly treated, cause diversity of character and of 
 enterprise. England has been noted as the great 
 civiliser, and there are here room and demand for her 
 best efforts. 
 
( 99 ; 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MADAGASCAR. 
 
 To prevent the interruption of continuity and consecu- 
 tiveness, it is better to introduce here, and now, what 
 ought to be said respecting Madagascar. 
 
 No description of Great Britain would be complete 
 vvithout reference to the Orkneys and Shetland and the 
 Isle of Man. So it is in regard to Africa and Madagascar. 
 Though not a part of the continent, it is yet closely 
 related to it, and the population is much of the same 
 character. 
 
 This great island stretches down towards Africa, on the 
 western edge of the Indian Ocean, at a distance of from 
 three to four hundred miles. It is about nine hundred 
 miles in length, and in breadth is from three to four 
 hundred. A great range of mountains, extending from 
 north to south, near the centre, forms a lofty watershed 
 from east to west. On one of these heights is the 
 capital, Antananarivo, about five thousand feet above the 
 level of the sea. There are many streams watering the 
 valleys and plains, but the surface of the country is so ' 
 much broken that none of them are navigable for any 
 great distance. There are four great forests, crossing 
 the island in four different parts, the shade of them 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 covering both hill and valley. Everywhere may be seen 
 the rankness and splendour of tropical vegetation ; the 
 palm, in many kinds, baobabs, mangoes, sago-trees, and 
 figs, are abundant in all the wooded districts. There is 
 an immense wilderness of ferns and other undergrowths 
 in all the forests. But with this vast wealth of woods, 
 there are no exports worthy of the name, except cattle, 
 and a trifling amount of gum, bees'-wax, and india- 
 rubber. 
 
 Being almost entirely within the torrid zone, while at 
 the same time it presents such variety of elevation, the 
 island has a wide range of temperature and climate, 
 the low lands suffering from oppressive heat, and the 
 mountain ranges from severe cold. The hills are 
 healthy, but, as in all tropical countries, the sea-shore 
 and the low-lying valleys are afflicted with fever. 
 Height being equivalent to health, the towns are usually 
 built on hills. 
 
 The inhabitants are a peculiar race. The original 
 stock appears to have been Malay, but the island being 
 so near Africa as to be really a part of it, there has 
 been a large infusion of Arab and Negro blood into the 
 population. A Malay mixture is to be met with in 
 other parts of Africa proper, and, indeed, may be found 
 spreading itself east and west over twenty degrees, or 
 more than half the circumference of the globe. The 
 whole island was, within less than a century ago, 
 broken up into over a hundred separate and commonly 
 hostile governments. But during the last fifty years the 
 Neo-roid Sakalavas of the north and west, the Batsileo 
 of the south, and the Betanim and others of the east, 
 have been brought under the common sway of the 
 
MADAGASCAR. 101 
 
 ordinarily fairer- skinned and straighter-haired Hovas of 
 the centre. 
 
 Eadama I. having heard of Western refinement, 
 cultivated acquaintance and friendship with the English. 
 The furniture and customs and dress of Europe were 
 largely introduced by him into his court ; and these 
 stood, and still stand, in striking contrast with a bar- 
 barism which, though at first resembling that of the 
 African Kaffres, is gradually yielding, but which, espe- 
 cially in remote parts, in a measure still remains. 
 
 The government had been hitherto almost a pure 
 despotism, and till a later period such it remained. 
 Slavery had always prevailed. The fearful ordeal of 
 tangena, or poison-water, to which suspected criminals, 
 as among many savage tribes, had been subjected, is 
 now, however, abolished. Formerly, at least, the Ma- 
 lagasy were a temperate people, but chastity was un- 
 known. They had really no religion before the esta- 
 blishment of the missions. They had idols, it is true, 
 but they were fetishes rather than gods. A red rag, 
 or a shapeless block, was honoured as having divine 
 powers, and charms were in universal request, but there 
 were no priests, no temples, nor any forms of worship 
 whatever. Divination by means of rice or beans ruled 
 every event of individual life or public procedure. 
 
 Missionary effort was begun among these people in 
 the year 1820. Kadama had invited missionaries at an 
 earlier period, but it had not been possible sooner to 
 comply with his request. He patronised the schools, 
 and left the mission at full liberty to follow out its 
 higher purposes, while, at the same time, it was the se- 
 cular good and the civilisation which he prized, rather 
 
102 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 than the spiritual instruction. He had abeady abolished 
 the slave-trade. Under his protection the path of the 
 mission was peaceful. His personal character aided the 
 missionaries. Stern in justice, strict in his word, and 
 kind as a rule, he led his people like a flock. He 
 abolished petty wars, and made the Hovas triumphant 
 over the whole island, introduced many arts hitherto 
 unknown, extended agriculture, began colonies, and 
 adopted and encouraged everything that promised to 
 raise his people and to make himself a great king. He 
 learned to mock the diviners, to ridicule the holy water, 
 and to twit the worshippers of idols. But his last days 
 were his most immoral, and he died of dissipation and 
 vicious excess in the very prime of his life. During 
 the eight years of his reign in which missionaries had 
 been on the island, they had begun a work which was 
 destined to revolutionise the whole of Madagascar. 
 They overcame to a large extent the prejudice of the 
 people against foreigners, impressed European ideas and 
 religious principles on ten thousand children whom they 
 taught to read and write, set to work the printing-press, 
 and put into circulation innumerable books and tracts, 
 educational and religious, and, above all, sent abroad the 
 Bible in Malagasy, the knowledge of which kept alive 
 among the people the sacred fire of a sincere devotion, 
 which could not be quenched by the fiercest persecution, 
 even after their teachers had been compelled to flee. 
 
 Radama died in 1828. Eanavalona, one of his widows, 
 became his successor. For a time the missionaries 
 were confirmed in their privileges. But it was only the 
 calm before the bursting of the storm. Extra idols 
 were consecrated, and bloody sacrifices profusely offered. 
 
MADAGASCAE. 
 
 103 
 
 The country must be purified and set free from the 
 infection of the new faith. At no previous period had 
 the mission been so promising. The first baptism of 
 natives took place in 1831. The congregations were 
 crowded. The press was sending out more than it 
 had ever produced. Native converts were beginning 
 to teach others what they themselves had learned to 
 believe. Even slaves turned preachers of the new faith. 
 But the Queen was fairly in the hands of the idol and 
 native party. She must either yield before this new 
 religion, or go further in her opposition to it. She 
 would go further ! All the privileges conceded by 
 Eadama must be withdrawn : let it be so. It was the 
 Queen's pleasure that all who had attended Christian 
 meetings, or sung hymns to Christ, should confess the 
 fact and trust to her clemency ; Christian books were to 
 be delivered up and destroyed. The missionaries might 
 teach the mechanical arts ; but their schools must be 
 closed, and they could not be permitted in any way to 
 speak about religion. All this had been reached by 
 1835, and the missionaries were compelled to leave. 
 
 The land was then scoured by the soldiery. The 
 converts were of all classes, and there was mercy for 
 none. The sufferers were fined if they confessed ; 
 but many were driven from their habitations, and ob- 
 liged to take refuge in swamps and forests, among cro- 
 codiles or serpents, and not a few died of starvation and 
 exposure. Many were sold into slavery; many were 
 banished to distant parts of the island ; but their faith 
 remained unshaken. Some were speared, some suffo- 
 cated in subterranean rice-pits, some crucified, some 
 burned alive, some scalded to death, and many flung 
 
104 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 over a precipice at the capital and left to the clogs. 
 This dreadful state of things continued from 1835 to the 
 death of the Queen in 1861. 
 
 But after the night comes the morning. The Queen 
 was succeeded by her illegitimate son, Eadama II., who 
 was no sooner on the throne than he proclaimed him- 
 self the friend of the English, invited the missionaries 
 to return, abolished all restrictions on foreign commerce, 
 established schools, and enacted universal toleration 
 The banished Christians were at once recalled, and a 
 general gaol-delivery made of prisoners for opinion. 
 
 The London Missionary Society, which had esta- 
 blished the mission at first, lost no time in responding 
 to the King's invitation. Mr. Ellis had been in 
 Madagascar in the last years of the Queen. This 
 would be his third visit to the island. He had upon 
 him the effect of missionary toil in another land, and 
 he was now advanced in age ; but he cheerfully com- 
 plied with the request of the Directors, and at once 
 proceeded to the task of restoring a work that had been 
 so disastrously interrupted. Six missionaries imme- 
 diately followed him. He and they found that very 
 many of the former converts had, in secret, remained 
 true to their convictions, and, by reading the Bible and 
 maintaining Christian intercourse \\ith each other, had 
 been enabled to endure the past day of darkness. 
 
 Nothing could be more cordial than the welcome 
 which the missionaries received. True, there was no 
 security, but in the will of the young king. He had 
 been reported a Christian, but the fact was not es- 
 tablished. His disposition was humane, his policy was 
 just towards all, and his intercourse with the missionaries 
 
MADAGASCAR. 
 
 105 
 
 was always friendly. But he might change any day, — 
 permission was required for every step which it might 
 be desired to take, and any privilege already granted 
 might be revoked in a moment. The toleration, 
 however, was complete. At the coronation the Pro- 
 testants found themselves ranged in the same square 
 with the keepers of idols on the one hand, and the 
 Sisters of Mercy on the other. 
 
 There are dangers against which the mission has 
 need to guard. Infidelity has its agents in the capital 
 and elsewhere —the former superstitions having been 
 abandoned, and the Gospel faith not adopted. The 
 Church of Rome has also its priests, aided and abetted 
 by the countenance and encouragement of France. 
 But the work of the Protestant missionaries has 
 greatly prospered. Many churches have been built, 
 and others are in course of erection. Even during the 
 years of persecution the number of converts was 
 largely increased. 
 
 The reign of Eadama II. was but short. Of a natural 
 disposition more than ordinarily amiable, and with his 
 mind disposed towards the reception of Christian truth, 
 he was nevertheless made the dupe of the idol party, 
 and, it is to be feared, that he gave way to habits of 
 intemperance. His mind apparently became affected. 
 Matters reached a crisis in the course of 1863 — a 
 revolution of the Government occurred — and he \\£is 
 strangled in his own palace. Notwithstanding his 
 weaknesses and his faults, he had deserved a better fate. 
 He had opened the country to the industry, enterprise, 
 and skill of foreigners, had entered into treaties of 
 friendship and commerce with England and France, 
 
106 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 had established perfect religious liberty and equality 
 for natives and foreigners, and had placed the relations 
 of Madagascar with other countries on a better founda- 
 tion than had ever before existed. He had again 
 abolished the tangena and the punishment of death. 
 He had freely granted sites for the Protestant churches. 
 He had introduced the payment of wages for work done 
 by the natives, instead of the demand of the Government 
 as formerly for unrequited labour, and by justice, gene- 
 rosity, and peaceable measures, had sought to bind the 
 different races to their rulers, and to each other. 
 
 His widow was constrained to become his successor, 
 under the name Rasoherina — the form of the govern- 
 ment being much modified : the word of the sovereign 
 was not any longer to be law ; the sovereign, the nobles, 
 and the heads of the people were to unite in making the 
 laws ; friendship with foreigners w^as to be maintained ; 
 no one was to be put to death on the word of the 
 sovereign alone ; religion and w^orship were to be free to 
 all ; the ordeal of the tangena was not to be used, but 
 death was to be inflicted for great crimes ; and " the 
 sovereign should not be permitted to drink spirituous 
 liquors." The Queen speedily confirmed to the mis- 
 sionaries all their liberties and privileges. 
 
 Mr. Ellis returned home in 1866, having seen the 
 thorough re-establishment of the mission — a work 
 which he greatly aided by his tact and sagacity and 
 unwearied perseverance. 
 
 When the missionaries were driven from their post 
 in 1835, they left a field in which they had laboured 
 alone ; and, now that they have returned, the work is 
 chiefly theirs, but they are efficiently assisted by agents 
 
MADAGASCAR. 
 
 107 
 
 sent to their help by the Society of Friends. These 
 last are principally occupied in the Avork of the schools. 
 
 A few years ago there was a wide-spread and general 
 destruction of the idols, in which the Queen set the 
 example. Places of worship have sprung up in all 
 directions, and every Tillage \vhich contains any great 
 number of converts has its house of prayer. Almost 
 the entire cost of these buildings has been borne by the 
 people themselves. One of the missionaries says, " The 
 work of chapel-building still goes on vigorously. The 
 skill and care employed in erecting the house of prayer, 
 the laudable desire of the people to have the best 
 building they can alford, perhaps also the emulation 
 excited in them by the newly-finished work of their 
 neighbours, all tend to promote, not their religious 
 welfare alone, but their comfort and civilisation. I 
 has already excited a marked influence in improving 
 their dwellings, both as to neatness and comfort, 
 ximong the places of worship finished during the year, 
 that at Namehana deserves especial notice. It will 
 accommodate 1,600 or 1,800 people, and its interior 
 embellishments, without being at all costly or out of 
 taste, are Cjuite a triumph of iLalagasy art." 
 
 There is now a Theological Institution for training 
 native ministers ; a Normal School for the instruction 
 of teachers ; and many schools for children and others 
 spread over the island. The number of English 
 missionaries in 1872 was twenty, and, on account of the 
 great increase in the number of hearers, an augmentation 
 of ten was guaranteed. There are not fewer than two 
 thousand native pastors and missionaries. In such a 
 number, it is to be expected that the qualifications 
 
108 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 should vary, but these are tried men, and many of them 
 are worthy of the highest esteem. Besides these, there 
 is a large staff of teachers, some of them English, 
 wholly devoted to their profession. 
 
 Fears have been entertained, since the accession of 
 the Queen and the Prime Minister to the ranks of the 
 Christians, that the liberties of those who still cling to 
 heathenism should be -interfered with, on the one hand, 
 or that the Christians themselves should be overruled 
 on the other. But such fears have not been realised. 
 These exalted personages are both sincere and humble 
 in their new profession, and, although there is a chm'ch 
 in the palace, no one is compelled to attend, nor is the 
 free action of the congregation either there or elsewhere 
 allowed to be in anywise impeded or liindered. 
 
 The general burning of the idols produced much 
 excitement and inquiry in the whole population, in- 
 cluding all ranks. In 1835, as has already been stated 
 the number of converts was 200. In the three last 
 past years very large additions have been made. Within 
 that space of time there have been not fewer than 
 258,000 converts, including 32,000 members, of increase 
 to the Christian community. Those who are styled 
 converts are persons who have abjured heathenism, and 
 who are gradually feeling their way into clearer light ; 
 the members are those who have been proved and 
 admitted to the full communion of the Church. Among 
 both classes there must, doubtless, be diverse grades of 
 intelligence ; but the present position and the future 
 prospect are both abundantly encouraging. 
 
 It is to be hoped that with all this promise the 
 difficulties and dangers which the mission must en- 
 
MADAGASCAK. 
 
 109 
 
 counter will gradually be overcome. The sceptical and 
 idolatrous elements are formidable, and the insidious 
 working of Eomanism requires the utmost vigilance to 
 counteract it; but a priest some time ago told the 
 Bishop of Mauritius that one might as well attempt to 
 cut a rock with a razor as to make Eomanists of the 
 Malagasy. 
 
 Much has been done, but far more remains to be done. 
 The population is large. The very maps are a blank, 
 except round the coast and in the central province. 
 Native agency, with Europeans to guide and instruct at 
 central points, must do the work. May the men be 
 found and fitted for the great task, and may they 
 be successful in it ! 
 
110 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTEK VII. 
 
 MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 
 
 Egbert Moffat arrived at the Cape in 1817. His 
 appointment was to the interior. Many honoured 
 and useful fellow-workers, within nearer reach of the 
 colony, must here be unnamed ; their record is on high. 
 Moffat's ultifnate station, at which he was privileged to 
 labour for so many years, being so far into the African 
 continent, and his success having been so great, a more 
 minutely detailed account of him and of his mission 
 may, with propriety, be introduced, as an example and 
 illustration of the description of work performed by 
 Christian ministers and teachers among these savage 
 races, and of the results which follow from their labours. 
 Moffat sailed for the Cape of Good Hope on the last 
 day of October 1816. He has therefore been engaged 
 in such work for more than fifty years. 
 
 He is a native of Scotland, and was born at Ormiston, 
 near Haddington, in 1795. His younger years were 
 spent at Carron Shore, on the Frith of Forth, near the 
 Carron Iron Works, his father being connected with 
 the Customs at the former place. At about twelve 
 years of age he was induced to go to sea ; but he did 
 not like it, and returned to school. He, by and by. 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 
 
 Ill 
 
 became a gardener, and after spending a few years near 
 home, he obtained a situation in Cheshire. His parents 
 were both good people. His father's example was a 
 blessing to him, and his mother instructed him carefully 
 in the knowledge of Christian truth. When about to 
 leave home for England, she earnestly besought him 
 to promise to her that he would read a portion of 
 the Bible every day, both morning and evening. He 
 avoided the question — he had not confidence in himself ; 
 but she insisted, and he gave the required pledge, and 
 did what he had promised. Afterwards he said, " Oh, 
 I am happy I did so ! " In Warrington his attention 
 was drawn to the work of the London Missionary 
 Society ; and, in respect to that work, he asked and 
 obtained an interview with the Kev. Mr. Eoby of 
 Manchester. The result was that he offered his services 
 to the Directors of that Society, and was accepted. 
 Shortly before, a young man, in every way well fitted 
 for the duties which he sought the opportunity of 
 performing, had been refused because his parents would 
 not consent. Dr. Waugh was in the chair, and said to 
 the applicant, " My dear lad, your father refuses, and, 
 though quite satisfied with your examination, we cannot 
 accept you, because we don't think you strong enough 
 just yet to jump over the fifth commandment." Mofiat 
 knew of this, and therefore when he was asked, " Have 
 you made your parents acquainted with your purpose?" 
 a faintness came over him, as he was compelled to 
 answer, No." But he was received, and the reply 
 was, We have thought of your proposal to become a 
 missionary : we have prayed over it ; and we cannot 
 withhold you from so good a work." He never had 
 
112 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 any formal ministerial training, although for a time 
 he gratefully received instructions from Mr. Koby. He 
 was encouraged by Dr. Andrew Reed and Dr. Philip, 
 both of whom were at the time but shortly advanced in 
 paths of their own which led to future eminence. His 
 great success as a missionary was likewise predicted by 
 the sagacious Rev. William Orme, the Secretary of the 
 Society. How well-grounded were his expectations 
 the sequel has abundantly verified. 
 
 The way had been prepared for him by tlie Rev. John 
 Campbell, deputed by the Society to visit the stations 
 in Africa, and to open up new ground. Africaner, a 
 noted freebooter chief, had shown signs of relenting 
 and hopeful change. Mr. Campbell had w-ritten to 
 that chief, and Moffat was required, in the first instance, 
 to remain for some time with him and his people. On 
 the 26th of January, 1818, the missionary, after a toil- 
 some and adventurous journey, arrived, with grateful 
 heart, at Africaner's kraal. The chief appeared in 
 about an hour, and inquired if he was the missionary 
 appointed by the directors in London, and, being an- 
 swered in the affirmative, he seemed much pleased, and 
 gave directions that a house should be built for the 
 missionary." This task was accomplished by a number 
 of women, in about half an hour — the structure being- 
 composed of native mats and poles. Another missionary 
 had already occupied the station, but he soon removed, 
 and Moffat was left alone. His feelings were alternately 
 those of sorrow and of joy. He was in a barren 
 and miserable country, with a salary of about £25 a 
 year — no grain, therefore no bread — and, worse than 
 all, no Christian society. He was wont to pour out his 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KUEUMAN. 
 
 113 
 
 soul among the granite rocks surrounding the station, 
 and " more than once he took his violin^ and reclining 
 upon the grass, in the stillness of the evening, played 
 and sung a favourite hymn of his mother's, beginning, 
 
 ' Awake, my soul, in joyful lays, 
 To sing the great Kedeemer's praise/ " 
 
 It was not long before he was cheered in his work. 
 The state of the chiefs mind had been doubtful, but 
 now he attended the services with great regularity ; he 
 had made considerable progress in reading, and the 
 New Testament became his constant companion. He 
 might be seen under the shadow of a great rock, for 
 most of the day, eagerly perusing the pages of Divine 
 inspiration. For nights he would sit with the mis- 
 sionary on a large stone at the latter 's door, and sit 
 till dawn, talking of the wonders of creation, providence, 
 redemption, and the heavenly world. This man turned 
 out a most decided Christian, and his force of natural 
 character was all spent in his subsequent life in the 
 service of righteousness and peace. 
 
 It was impossible to make this place a permanent 
 missionary station, It was therefore resolved to look 
 for a locality more suitable. Moffat, all things being 
 ready after some trouble in preparation, started with 
 about thirty men, including Africaner himself. He 
 objected to so many, but was assured that the number 
 was necessary for his safety. This journey, which 
 occupied only a few weeks, revealed more clearly the 
 dark condition of the heathen mind, in conversations 
 with the inhabitants of villao-es throuoh which it was 
 needful to pass. The people had no knowleilge of God, 
 
 T 
 
114 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 of the soul, or of a future state. They had no idols — 
 no worship of any kind. Mr. Campbell, in his ' Life 
 of Africaner,' says that he asked him, on one occasion, 
 " what his views of God were before he had enjoyed 
 the benefit of Christian instruction, and his reply was, 
 that he never thought any tiling at all on these subjects, 
 that he thought about nothing but his cattle. He 
 admitted that he had heard of a God, he having been 
 brought up in the colony, but he at the same time 
 stated that his views of God were so erroneous, that the 
 name suggested no more to his mind than something 
 that might be found in the form of an insect, or in the 
 lid of a snuff-box." This was the testimony of one who 
 had passed from darkness to the light of the Gospel. 
 
 On the journey homewards from this tour in search 
 of a more suitable place for a mission station, the 
 explorers were frequently exposed to dangers from lions. 
 Sometimes these beasts of prey became so bold as to 
 rush into the midst of the travellers' oxen at night, and 
 scatter them, occasioning long and weary searches for 
 the cattle before they could again be collected. In one 
 such instance, Moffat found at a spot to which he had 
 been led by the appearance of smoke an object of deep 
 and painful interest, which illustrates the barbarity and 
 unnatural cruelty of these heathens. There was a 
 venerable-looking old woman, sitting with her head 
 resting on her knees. Being addressed kindly, and 
 asked whom she was, she replied, " I am a woman ; I 
 have been here four days; my children have left me 
 here to die." " Your children ! " "Yes, my own children, 
 three sons and two daughters. They are gone to 
 yonder blue mountains, and have left me to die." "But 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KUEUMAN. 115 
 
 why^'did they leave you ? " I am old, you see," she 
 replied, spreading out her hands, " and I am no longer 
 able to serve them. When they kill game, I am too 
 feeble to help in carrying home the flesh ; I am not 
 able to carry wood to make fire; and I cannot carry 
 their children on my back as I used to do." He tried 
 to persuade her to go with him in his waggon, and 
 promised to care for her ; but all in vain. She became 
 convulsed with terror, and, fearing she might die in 
 his hands if he had her carried to his escort, he was 
 compelled to leave her, having supplied her with 
 provisions ; while, in reference to her position, she said, 
 **It is our custom ; I am nearly dead ; I do not want to 
 die again." He understood afterwards that her family, 
 observing the travellers near to where they had left 
 their mother, had returned, and being afraid lest the 
 white man should punish them, had taken her home, and 
 were providing for her with more than ordinary care. 
 
 Disappointed in respect to their being able to find a 
 more suitable locality for the work of the mission, the 
 party endeavoured to reach home by a shorter route 
 farther to the east, on the borders of the Sahara Desert, 
 which lies between Namaqualand and the country of 
 the Bechuanas. But they paid dearly for their haste, 
 for they found themselves in a plain of deep sand, 
 through which it was next to impossible to take their 
 waggon. They were also much in want of water. 
 They found only water-melons where water might have 
 been expected, and these were as bitter as gall. 
 
 This journey, which had occupied only a few weeks, 
 settled one important point — namely, the impossibility 
 of obtaining any eligible situation for a missionarv 
 
 I 2 
 
116 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 establishment in that desolate region. Such visits 
 were, therefore, resumed on a more extended scale, the 
 services at home being conducted by two brothers of 
 Africaner, who proved very efficient assistants. These 
 expeditions were sometimes attended not only by pri- 
 vation, but also by danger. Tying his Bible and hymn- 
 book in a blanket to the back of his saddle — for the 
 missionary now rode on a borrowed horse — he would 
 start with his interpreter, who rode on an ox. They had 
 their guns, but nothing in purse or scrip except a pipe, 
 some tobacco, and a tinder-box. They had no bread, 
 but hoped to be able to live by the way. After a hot 
 day's ride to reach a village before nightfall, the 
 people, on their arrival, would give them a draught of 
 milk ; and then, old and young assembling in a corner 
 of the cattle-fold, all would listen to an address on the 
 subject of their spiritual safety. When this was over, 
 the preacher, having taken another draught of milk 
 and renewed conversation with the people, would lie 
 down on a mat, and seek repose for the night. 
 
 So was it day by day. After another address in the 
 morning, the missionary would start for another village, 
 reaching which in the evening, travel-stained and 
 hungry, his companion and he having breakfasted on 
 milk, they perhaps found empty, the whole popula- 
 tion having been obliged to go elsewhere in search of 
 water and grass. There was no help for it. Hungry 
 and thirsty, they would commend themselves to the 
 Divine care, and do their best to sleep, but were not 
 unfrequently disturbed in the night by hyaenas, jackals, 
 or lions, which prowl about deserted villages in search 
 of what may have been left behind. Next morning, 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 117 
 
 having breakfasted on ^Yate^ not over-sweet, after they 
 had found it, they would follow the track of the de- 
 parted people, thankful if they succeeded in overtaking 
 them. 
 
 Even at home the larder was not always full. The 
 missionary's food was milk and meat, he living for 
 weeks on the one, and then for a time on the other, 
 and then on both tosrether. All was w^ell so lono- as he 
 had either ; but sometimes both failed, and there were 
 somewhat long fasts so enforced that recourse must be 
 had to " the fasting girdle." The contents of his ward- 
 robe bore the same impress of poverty. He says, " The 
 supply of clothes which I had received in London were, 
 as is too often the case, made after the dandy fashion, 
 and I, being still a growing youth, they soon went to 
 pieces." Months were spent in search of a suitable 
 place in which usefully to settle, but in vain, when 
 Africaner proposed to him to visit the Griqua country, 
 to the east of the desert, to inspect a situation offered 
 to him and his people, to which he might remove with 
 the full sanction of the chiefs of the Griquas. After 
 much consultation the party started, consisting of two 
 brothers of Africaner, with his son, and a guide. They 
 had about eight horses, good and bad, and trusted 
 entirely for food to what they might shoot on the w^ay. 
 Their course was principally on the north side of the 
 Orange River. It was toilsome, and difficult, and 
 dangerous. They had to cross desert plains without 
 trees or shelter of any kind. At other points they 
 found the river flowing through great chasms, and over- 
 hung with stupendous precipices ; while anon it would 
 spread into a translucent lake, with towering mimosas 
 
118 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 and uillows reflected on its bosom. There were vast 
 varieties of birds, and also beasts of prey. There were 
 few inhabitants on the banks of the river. Some whom 
 they did meet were kind, but others would give them 
 neither food nor drink, but simply point out to them a 
 place of repose. 
 
 On one occasion Moffat had a narrow escape ; but 
 he had more work to do, and " man is immortal till his 
 work is done." The ]3arty had reached the river early 
 in the afternoon, having made a detour to escape from 
 its windings, and three of their number had gone onward 
 to a Bushman village. He went, because his horse would 
 go, to a small pool, from which the water had receded 
 to the main stream, or had evaporated. He dismounted 
 and drank, but immediately on raising himself felt an 
 unusual taste in his mouth ; and observing that the 
 pool was temporarily fenced round, it occurred to him 
 that this must be water poisoned for the purpose of 
 killing game. It Avas so. When he reached his com- 
 panions and arrived at the village, he made signs to 
 the natives that he wanted the fruit of the solanum, for 
 he w^as violently ill, and his veins were as if they would 
 burst ; but none could be found. He was soon covered 
 with a profuse perspiration, and drank largely of pure 
 water; and although the strange and painful sensa- 
 tion which he had experienced gradually wore away, it 
 was not entirely removed for some days. 
 
 They continued their journey in hunger and thirst 
 and exposure to many dangers. Much in want of water, 
 the missionary was directed by a native to the top of a 
 hill, where, if anywhere, water might be expected. 
 When he had reached the summit, he happened to 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 119 
 
 cough, and was instantly surrounded by about a hun- 
 dred baboons, some of them of gigantic size. He says, 
 " They grunted, grinned, and sprang from stone to 
 stone, protruding their mouths, threatening an instant 
 attack. I kept parrying them with my gun, which 
 was loaded ; but I knew their character and disposi- 
 tion too well to fire, for if I had wounded one of them, 
 I should have been skinned in five minutes. The 
 ascent had been very laborious, but I would have given 
 anything to be at the bottom of the hill again. Some 
 came so near as even to touch my hat while passing 
 projecting rocks. It was some time before I reached 
 the plain, when they appeared to hold a noisy council, 
 either about what they had done, or intended doing. 
 Levelling my piece at two that seemed the most fierce, 
 I was about to touch the trigger, when a thought oc- 
 curred to me — I have escaped, let me be thankful; 
 therefore I left them uninjured, perhaps with the 
 gratification of having given me a fright." 
 
 Exhausted and anxious, they at last reached Griqua 
 Town, where the missionaries, Anderson and Helm, 
 gave them a hearty welcome. They visited Daniel's 
 Kuil, and also Lattakoo (Lithako), where they remained 
 several days. This was the first time Moffat had seen 
 the Bechuanas, among tvhom he afterwards laboured for 
 so many years. They then returned to Griqua Town, 
 and prepared to return home to Namaqualand. An 
 account of the journey was submitted to Africaner. 
 He was much pleased with the report which was given 
 in regard to the proposed new settlement, and resolved 
 that, by and by, he and his people should remove 
 thither. 
 
120 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Moffat, accompanied by Africaner, found it necessary 
 to visit the Cape. To the latter this was a journey of 
 no small danger. He had to pass through the country 
 of the Dutch farmers whom he had robbed, he was an 
 outlaw, and one thousand rix-dollars had been offered 
 for his head. He was safe, however, and was even in- 
 troduced to the governor. Lord Charles Somerset, who 
 received him with much affability and kindness, and 
 expressed the pleasure he had in seeing thus before 
 him one who had formerly been the scourge of the 
 country. A deputation from the London Missionary 
 Society, consisting of the Eev. John Campbell and the 
 Kev. Dr. Philip, was at this time at the Cape, and to 
 them Africaner was an object of much interest. 
 
 The purpose of this visit was twofold : to procure 
 supplies, and to introduce the chief to the Colonial 
 Government. The missionary had had no design but 
 that of returning to his present flock — at least for a 
 time; but the deputation desired him to accompany 
 them to the mission stations, and then to proceed on 
 a mission to the Bechuanas. Africaner generously 
 offered to take his books and some small quantity of 
 furniture which he had purchased, in his waggon across 
 the continent to Lattakoo. Furniture which he had 
 purchased ; for although Moffet had till now been 
 alone. Miss Smith, to whom he had long been engaged, 
 arrived from England, and he now found " an helpmeet 
 for him " — one who, for half a century, was his succour 
 and his joy in his wilderness home, and who was called 
 to a better land only after her recent return to this 
 country. 
 
 The removal was effected, so far as the missionary 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KUEUMAN. 
 
 121 
 
 was concerned ; but, before settling down, he had to 
 accompany Mr. Campbell on his visits to other stations. 
 He bade his friend Africaner a farewell which had in it 
 the hope of a future meeting ; but that chief died within 
 two years, and he died in the faith of the Gospel. 
 * The Wesleyans afterwards occupied the station at 
 Namaqnaland, making Africaner's kraal an outstation, 
 for the people did not migrate as they had once 
 intended. 
 
 To the good influence of the missions both beyond 
 Griqua Town and those between Griqua Town and the 
 Colony, Sir A. Stockenstrom, the governor, bears strong 
 testimony. He says, "If it had not been for the 
 influence that the London missionaries had gained over 
 the Griquas, we should have had the whole nation down 
 upon us. We had no force to arrest them if they had 
 overrun the half of the country. But now tliose people 
 are in a state that enables us to treat with them, and I 
 attribute their domesticated state altogether to the con- 
 fidence which they have in the advice of the mission- 
 aries." The same testimony is borne by the same 
 witness as to the effects of the labours of the agents of 
 other societies in other parts. 
 
 Eespecting the Bechuanas there was but little 
 known, except by mere report, till they were visited by 
 a colonist with a party of cattle-robbers at an early 
 period of the Colonial history. The next visit was by 
 the marauder Bloom, a Dutch farmer. He and his 
 followers committed great havoc on the flocks and 
 herds of the Bechuanas, putting to death vast numbers 
 of the people. In 1801, two messengers visited the 
 mission station on the Orange Biver for the purpose 
 
122 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 of obtaining cattle for the Government by lawful trade, 
 in the way of barter, and also went to the Batlapis and 
 Batlaros, the two nearest tribes of the Bechuana nation, 
 for the same purpose. This visit made a favourable 
 impression as to the character and disposition of the 
 Bechuanas on the minds of these gentlemen. 
 
 A sliort time previously, two missionaries had settled 
 on the banks of the Kuruman Kiver, near which the 
 Batlapis and others were at that time living under the 
 chief or kino^ Molehabans^ue. He was kind to strano:ers. 
 When Messrs. Evans and Hamilton went to Lithako, 
 thirty miles north-east of the Kuruman Kiver, Mothibi, 
 the king's son, with his council, directed them to the 
 Kuruman Kiver, expecting them there to trade and 
 barter, as certain former missionaries had done. They 
 declined to follow such an example. The temporal 
 advantages are not uufrequently the inducement with 
 both chiefs and people when they receive missionaries. 
 Of course, in their ignorance they are incapable of 
 appreciating the superior benefits, but the other they 
 can understand. 
 
 Dr. Lichtenstein was the first traveller who visited 
 the Batlapis. This was in 1805. The king, Moleha- 
 bangue, received him with kindness, and he reports well 
 of the people. The next travellers who visited these 
 parts were Dr. Cowan and Captain Donovan. They 
 went under the auspices of the English Government, 
 with a considerable party, and two waggons. Their 
 expedition occurred in 1807. Their object was to pass 
 through the Bechuana country, and proceed to the 
 Portuguese settlements near Mozambique. They 
 passed safely through the territory of the Batlapis, 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 
 
 123 
 
 Barolongs, Bamangketse, and Bakuenas, and perislied 
 at no great distance from the eastern coast, but by 
 what means has never been ascertained. 
 
 Dr. Burchell visited the country in 1812, and pushed 
 his scientific and other researches as far as Chue, a 
 considerable distance north of Lithako, and it was his 
 intention to advance as far as the Portuguese settle- 
 ment on the west coast, passing through the Kalahari 
 desert to Congo ; but his attendants deserted him, and 
 he was compelled to desist. 
 
 It was in 1815 that Messrs Evans, Hamilton, 
 Williams, and Baker, left England to proceed to 
 Lithako. They reached their destination on the 17th 
 of February, 1816, accompanied by Adam Kok, a 
 most self-denying and useful man, and also several 
 others as interpreters. But they were coldly received 
 by Mothibi, whose first question was, " What have you 
 brought for barter ? " After two days of earnest 
 attempts at persuasion to be permitted to remain where 
 they were, inasmuch as the greatest number of people 
 were there, they were peremptorily told, as has already 
 been stated, to " Go to the Kuruman Kiver, and traffic 
 there ; but don't teach. Here there is no water, there 
 are no trees, and the people have customs, and will not 
 hear." They were obliged to return to Griqua Town, 
 and wait for an opening. In one of their journeys from 
 that centre, as they endeavoured to make themselves 
 useful, they were told that the king now appeared 
 willing to receive them. And they tried. But 
 Mothibi, with twelve hundred of his men, being absent 
 for a month, they were compelled again to return from 
 want of provisions. The prospect was somewhat 
 
124 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 brighter, but Mr. Evaus was discouraged and relin- 
 quished the mission altogether. A subsequent attempt 
 was more successful. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton was, for a time, accompanied by Mr. 
 Read,*a sagacious and experienced missionary from the 
 Colony ; but subsequently he was alone — Moffat and 
 his wife being with Mr. Campbell, the deputy from 
 London, visiting the stations — a rather remarkable 
 wedding tour. Hamilton was a missionary artisan. 
 While Kead and he were together, Mothibi mustered a 
 large expedition against the Bakuenas, nearly two 
 hundred miles to the north-east. Their object was the 
 capture of cattle. But they were foiled in their 
 purpose — many were slain, and Mothibi himself was 
 wounded. In June 1817, he and his people removed 
 to the Kuruman Riyer. Moffat's appointment was to 
 this mission, but he was directed first to attend to 
 certain duties at Griqua Town, which detained him for 
 a considerable time. Hamilton, in his loneliness, had a 
 Iiard lot, and many difficulties. He had great manual 
 labour in digging a long watercourse, preparing ground, 
 and building. He had, in many ways, to toil with his 
 hands to preserve himself and family from beggary. 
 Besides, all the head men of the place acted as if they 
 had a right to everything he possessed — everything they 
 could lay their hands on. His goods were stolen when* 
 it was known he was conducting some religious services 
 and could not possibly return to disturb the thieves 
 before a particular time. Of course no one knew who 
 had been the depredators ! The people had no light, 
 and consequently they had no conscience. 
 
 In May 1821 Moffat joined him, and from that day 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 
 
 125 
 
 to this there has been a strong power for good centring 
 at Kuruman, and extending far. These two men, them- 
 selves working hard and long, have had their labours 
 assisted and supplemented by other missionaries. The 
 day, Sabbath, and infant schools have been fruitful "of 
 large benefit ; the services of the sanctuary have been 
 numerously attended, and many have avowed themselves 
 the disciples of Christ, their lives being consistent with 
 such avowal ; printing-presses have been set up, and 
 are at work, to supply the increasing demands of a 
 reading population-, school-books and other works, as 
 well as- the whole Bible itself, as translated by Moffat, 
 being produced at the station ; and now a more regular 
 school of instruction for native teachers is being 
 organised, and is fitly to be called " The Moffat In- 
 stitution ;" while the advanced standard-bearers, who 
 have penetrated longer distances into the interior, see 
 much to encourage them onward, and hear the voices 
 of the perishing lifted up and saying, " Come over and 
 help us." 
 
 The details of missionary excursions made by Moffat 
 from the Kuruman to distant tribes are deeply in- 
 teresting, but it is not possible here to record them. 
 On such journeys Mr. Moffat's influence with the 
 chiefs and people was very great, and prepared the 
 way for the opening of other stations beyond his own. 
 He has returned to this country to enjoy the well-earned 
 repose which suitably succeeds so many years of 
 arduous and honourable toil in the service of both God 
 and man. He still seeks the promotion of African 
 missions by frequent addresses and other means, and, 
 notwithstanding his advanced years, has been diligently 
 
126 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 employed on a new edition of tlie Bible in the lan- 
 guage of the people for whom he has done so much. 
 
 Eain-makers were the worst opponents of Moffat and 
 his companions, as they are of all missionaries every- 
 where in Africa ; and their pretended arguments 
 against the teaching of the people are such as tell 
 upon these ignorant and besotted tribes. For example, 
 a wily rain-maker who was the oracle of the village 
 in which he lived, after hearing Moffat enlarge on one 
 occasion on the subject of the Creation, said, If you 
 really believe that that Being created all men, then, 
 according to reason, you must also believe that in 
 making white people he has improved on his work. 
 He tried his hand on Bushmen first, and he did not 
 like them because they were so ugly, and their language 
 like that of the frogs. He then tried his hand on the 
 Hottentots, but these did not please him either. He 
 then exercised his power and skill and made the 
 Bechuanas, which \Aas a great improvement. And, at 
 last, he made the white people ; therefore the white 
 people are so much wiser than we are in making 
 walking-houses (waggons), teaching the oxen to draw 
 them over hill and dale, and instructing them also to 
 plough the gardens, instead of making their wives do 
 it, like the Bechuanas." Such talk receives the ap- 
 plause of the people, and the arguments of the mis- 
 sionary are as a feather in the balance. And yet it is 
 not always safe to be a rain-maker. When rain will 
 not come, by any incantation, the poor deceiver is 
 caught in his own craftiness ; and if he does not flee 
 for his life, when patient waiting has been exhausted, 
 he is not unfrequently murdered. 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KUEUMAN. 127 
 
 The govemment of these people is both monarchical 
 and patriarchal. Each tribe has its chief or king, and 
 his office is hereditary. There being many towns or 
 villages in a tribe, each of these has also its head, and 
 under him there are subordinate chiefs. These are the 
 aristocracy of the nation, and all acknowledge the 
 supremacy of the principal chief. In the intslios, or 
 parliament, or public meeting, great plainness of 
 speech is sometimes used. But such meetings are held 
 only on great, very great occasions. These utterances of 
 the nobles are the pulse of the nation, however, and a 
 wise ruler will not fail to be guided by them. Private 
 wrongs — such as thefts, murders, and other crimes — 
 are left to the avenger. The people are most tenacious 
 of their customs. These are a great hindrance to 
 progress. Polygamy is a strong barrier both to religion 
 and civilisation. The women have by far the heavier 
 tasks : they cultivate the fields, build the houses and 
 fences, and bring in the firewood ; while the men hunt, 
 watch the cattle, milk the cows, and prepare their furs 
 and skins for mantles. It being so, the men find it 
 convenient to have a number of wives. Notwith- 
 standing all this, however, the Bechuanas are superior 
 to many other tribes. They are savages only in a 
 restricted sense ; but their susceptibility to religious 
 impression is most obtuse. If it be attempted to 
 convince them that they are sinners, they will boldly 
 affirm that there is not a sinner in the tribe. 
 
 Missionary work among such people must in itself 
 always be hard and difficult ; and there are also other 
 discouragements. At Kuruman there was, in the first 
 instance, much work with the hands. Houses had to 
 
128 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 be built for worship, and for teacbing, and for 
 residence; workshops had to be constructed, and the 
 station being several miles from the river, a water- 
 ditch had to be dug ; and as this passed through 
 among the gardens of the natives, the water was not 
 seldom cut off before it reached the home of those who 
 had prepared the way for it. 
 
 The acquisition of the language is always, in such 
 circumstances, an object of the first importance, but it 
 is often a most toilsome work. There is neither time 
 nor place for retirement, and no interpreter worthy of 
 the name. The reducing of an oral language to 
 writing requires much pains on the part of a mis- 
 sionary ; but it is a thing that must be done — he must 
 be able to convey his meaning in words of his own 
 choosing. In speaking, it is safer to trust to an 
 imperfect utterance than it is to employ an inter- 
 preter. When one makes a mistake, the natives will 
 smile ; whereas, when an interpreter has to render one's 
 meaning, he not un frequently puts his own conception 
 into the statement. It has always been a prolonged 
 and arduous task for Europeans to master the African 
 tongues, there being no rules other than mere usage, 
 and usage being far from similar in different circum- 
 stances. ISTatives are not so charitable towards an 
 interpreter who knows their language, as they are to 
 a stranger of whom they know that he cannot fully 
 express himself. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton, of the Kuruman, after a useful and 
 honoured life has gone to his reward. Mr. Moffat, as 
 we have observed already, has retired from his labours ; 
 but a son and others have well succeeded him, and that 
 
MOFFAT AND THE KURUMAN. 129 
 
 station is a light shining amidst the darkness, and, 
 by speech of man and printed paper, the knowledge of 
 the way of life is being widely extended. 
 
 Among the Baralongs, Basiitos, Mantatees, and 
 Corannas, places of worship have been erected at all 
 the principal places. Mosheshe, king of the Basutos, 
 had long desired a missionary, and in 1833 Messrs. 
 Casilis, Arbousset, and Goselin, connected with the 
 French Evangelical Society, arrived in the country. 
 They have been reinforced by the Wesleyans and other 
 helpers, so that now, in a land which was formerly 
 the theatre of rapine and murder, there is a healthy 
 and Gospel influence exercised over many thousands. 
 Indeed, from the eastern borders of the southern 
 Sahara to Port Natal, a phalanx presents it-self which, 
 if zealously supported by faith and prayer, will ad- 
 vance to the utmost extremity of this great continent. 
 
 In reference to Kuruman itself, Mr. Gordon Gum- 
 ming, an impartial witness, bears strongly favourable 
 testimony, and says, " At Kuruman or New Litakoo I 
 was kindly welcomed and hospitably entertained by 
 Mr. Moffat and Mr. Hamilton, both missionaries of the 
 London Society, and also by Mr. Hume, an old trader, 
 long resid(mt at Kuruman. The gardens here are 
 extensive and extremely fertile. Besides corn and 
 vegetables, they contained a great variety of fruits, 
 among which were vines, peach-trees, nectarines, 
 apple, orange, and lemon-trees,^ all of which in their 
 seasons bear a profusion of the most delicious fruits. 
 These gardens are irrigated with the most liberal supply 
 of water from a powerful fountain, which gushes forth, 
 at once forming a little river, from a subterraneous 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 cave, wliich has several low narrow mouths, but within 
 is lofty and extensive. This cave is stated by the 
 natives to extend to a very great distance underground. 
 The natives about Kuruman, and the surrounding 
 districts, generally embrace the Christian religion. 
 Mr. Moffat kindly showed me through his printing 
 establishment, church, and school-rooms, which were 
 lofty and well-built, and altogether on a scale which 
 would not have disgraced one of the towns of the more 
 enlightened colony. It was Mr. Moffat who reduced 
 the Bechuana language to writing and printing, since 
 which he has printed thousands of Sichuana Testa- 
 ments, as also tracts and hymns, which are now eagerly 
 purchased by the converted natives. Mr. M. is a man 
 admirably calculated to excel in his important calling. 
 Together with a noble and athletic frame, he possesses 
 a face on which forbearance and Christian charity are 
 very plainly written, and his mental and bodily attain- 
 ments are great. Minister, gardener, blacksmith, gun- 
 smith, mason, carpenter, glazier — every hour of the 
 day finds this worthy pastor engaged in some useful 
 employment, setting by his own exemplary piety and 
 industrious habits a good example to otliers to go and 
 do likewise." 
 
^ 131 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BAETH, OVERWEG, A^D RICHAKDSON — ASHANTEE. 
 
 In December 1849, Dr. Barth and Mr. Overweg arrived 
 at Tunis, and from thence proceeded to Tripoli, from 
 which they set forth on their long and perilous expedi- 
 tion. Dr. Barth writes : " It was late in the afternoon of 
 the 24th of March, 1850, when Overweg and I, seated 
 in solemn state upon our camels, left the town with our 
 train, preceded by the Consul Mr. Crow, by Mr. Reade, 
 and Mr. Dickson and his family, of all of whom we 
 took a hearty leave under the olive-trees near 'Kasr 
 el Haeni.' " More than five years were to pass ere 
 Dr. Barth, the only survivor of the departing company, 
 should again clasp hands under these olive-trees. They 
 were joined by Mr, Richardson and his party a few 
 days after they had left, and proceeded on their 
 journey through corn-fields and green pastures, suc- 
 ceeded by stony valleys in which were many Roman 
 remains, which indicated that in that part of the world 
 the universal conquerors had occupied important 
 positions. They came upon the ruins of a massive 
 stronghold, a gate with an arch of remarkably fine 
 masonry, and several sepulchral monuments, — one of 
 them forty-eight feet high and richly decorated, all 
 proving that these deserted regions were once 
 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 inhabited by a wealthy and higlily civilised population. 
 One of the most remarkable of these remains is a 
 small building which has evidently been used as a 
 Christian church. Dr. Barth believes it to have 
 belonged to a small monastery, but there is no 
 historical information. 
 
 Between this point and Murzuk the country is very 
 desolate, — stony ravines shut in by steep and gloomy- 
 looking cliffs, their dullness and monotony being 
 relieved only at long intervals by occasional clumps 
 of palm-trees. Beyond Murzuk the way lies along 
 mountain passes, in which there are many curious 
 sculptures on the sandstone blocks. The scenery, by 
 and by, becomes soft and beautiful ; but the habits of 
 the people are predatory and dangerous to travellers. 
 The blacksmith is in high repute among these tribes, 
 and this is not unnatural, so far as respects his trade; 
 but he is generally the " prime minister " of the chief. 
 There is a widely spread superstition to the effect that 
 certain magical powers belong in some mysterious way 
 to workers in iron ; and in many countries, from the 
 earliest times, the smith " has been invested with a 
 character of indefinable dread. These people seem to 
 belong to the Shemitic race of mankind. 
 
 When the travellers arrived at A'gades, Dr. Barth 
 paid a visit to the Sultan. His dwelling and his 
 appointments were very homely. He was not yet 
 installed. In a few days he made a more regal 
 appearance, — mounted on a valuable horse, and wear- 
 ing a robe of coloured silk and cotton, over which was 
 a costly blue bernous which Dr. Barth had presented, 
 while at his side was a scimitar with a gold handle. 
 
BAKTH, OYERWEG, AND mCHARDSON. 133 
 
 The procession was very long and imposing, especially 
 by means of the great number of horsemen included in 
 it. A'gades is built entirely of wood and clay, but is 
 neat and clean in its appearance. There is in it one 
 very curious building entirely constructed of clay, 
 which was probably erected as a watch-tower ; the 
 base is about thirty feet square, and the height more 
 than ninety feet, tapering to about eight feet square at 
 the top. The interior is apparently unfinished; but 
 that part of it is not open to the visits of any but 
 Mahometans. Part of it was seen, but the greater 
 part was kept concealed. The clay of such a tower is 
 kept together by the introduction of boards of the 
 diim-tree. 
 
 These travellers, often retarded, went onwards to the 
 more important town of Kano, and in the course of 
 their journey were greatly harassed by the many 
 predatory tribes which infest the mountain passes 
 and levy contributions from the caravans, much in the 
 manner of our Borderers in the days of the strong 
 hand. Salt was the only article conveyed by this 
 caravan. There are two kinds of it, — one solidified, 
 and the other in loose grains, this latter being scarce 
 and very dear. There was great merriment in the 
 evening, and, early next day, the united caravan, an 
 imposing cavalcade, started on its long journey, and 
 took its course along the rocky defiles of the valley. 
 There was now real travelling ; but as yet the route 
 presented nothing of the barrenness of the desert, — trees 
 were frequent, and the few villages which were passed 
 were surrounded with corn-fields. In some parts there 
 were reeds, ten feet high, obstructing the progress of the 
 
134 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 travellers. They say that they had now reached those 
 fertile regions of Central Africa which are not only 
 able to sustain their o\An population, but have material 
 to export to other countries. The inhabitants of the 
 villages, though pagans and mostly slaves, welcomed 
 the strangers, and provided abundant food for the 
 whole caravan. Dr. Barth observed here the peculiar 
 style of roof which seems to be characteristic of 
 the tribes of Central Africa. The huts are built with 
 stalks of the Indian corn, without any other support, 
 except a few branches of the Asclej^ias gigantea. "In 
 examining these structures oue cannot but feel 
 surprised at the great similarity which they bear to 
 the huts of the aboriginal inhabitants of Latium, such 
 as they are described by Vitruvius and other authors, 
 and represented occasionally on terra-cotta utensils ; 
 while the name in the Eornu or Kanuri language, 
 'kosi,' bears a remarkable resemblance to the Latin 
 name * casa,' however accidental it may be." In these 
 huts the supply of corn was plentiful ; huge baskets 
 made of reeds were filled with it, and placed on a 
 scaffold of wood about two feet high to protect them 
 against the mouse and the ant, they being very 
 numerous. On the 9th of January, 1851, they reached 
 Tagelel, and Mr. Kichardson went on by the road to 
 Zinder, Dr. Barth and Mr. Overweg proceeding with 
 the general caravan. They journeyed by numerous 
 fine trees, — the tamarind and the splendid tulip-tree 
 among other kinds, with flocks of pigeons and guinea- 
 fowl. Many corn-fields now alternated with cotton 
 plantations, and furnished proof of the great fertility 
 and commercial importance of Central Africa. There 
 
BAETH, OVERWEG, AND RICHAEDSON. 135 
 
 were numerous herds of cattle, and the inhabitants of 
 the villages seemed to have abundance and to live in 
 peace. The picture which Dr. Barth gives of the first 
 large town he visited in Negroland Proper, Tasawa, is 
 very pleasing. The huts w ere partly built of clay, and 
 the roofs neatly thatched with reeds; the courtyard 
 being fenced in with the same. A cool outer building, 
 composed of reeds and lattice work, w^as usually re- 
 served for the reception of visitors and the transaction 
 of business ; and the whole dwelling was shaded by 
 spreading trees. In almost all instances there were 
 included in the scene groups of children, goats, fowls, 
 pigeons, and, where a little wealth had been acquired, 
 a horse or a pack-ox. The people themselves are" a 
 kind and cheerful race, and willing to enjoy the good 
 things around them. 
 
 The next town is Gazawa, which has rude fortifica- 
 tions of clay. As in the case of the last town, there is 
 here also a dyeing place, indigo being cultivated in 
 the neighbourhood. The nearest town onwards is 
 Katsena, from which the travellers again set forth with 
 the salt caravan towards the long-looked-for city of 
 Kdno. The intervening country they found to be 
 exceedingly beautiful, with a great variety of herbage 
 and foliage. There w^ere birds of many kinds, known 
 and unknown, with herds of milk-white cattle dispersed 
 over the rich pasture-grounds. The scattered popu- 
 lation appeared active and industrious. Women, 
 carrying on their heads from six to ten calabashes, 
 filled with various articles, here joined the caravan; 
 a troop of men, with loads of indigo plants to be 
 prepared for dyeing, met them soon after as they 
 
136 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 passed over extensive tobacco fields ; while beehives, 
 formed of thick hollow logs, were fastened to the 
 branches of the colossal kiika trees. At length, through 
 cultivated fields, and past populous villages, where the 
 preparation of indigo was carried on, they came in 
 sight of Kano, and Dr. Barth entered the city after 
 nearly a year's exertion on the evening of the 2nd 
 of February, 1851. His high expectations in regard 
 to the city, known as the great emporium of Central 
 Negroland, do not seem to have been disappointed. 
 
 Kano is a large and flourishing town, " a little world 
 in itself, so different in external form from all that is 
 seen in European towns, yet so similar " in many other 
 respects. Dr. Barth says of it, there is 
 
 "Here a row of shops, filled with articles of native 
 and foreign produce, with buyers and sellers in every 
 variety of figure, complexion, and dress, yet all intent 
 upon their little gains, endeavouring to cheat each 
 other ; there a large shed with sides like a hurdle, full of 
 half-naked, half-starved slaves, torn from their native 
 homes, arranged like rows of cattle, and staring 
 desperately upon the buyers, anxiously watching into 
 whose hands it might be their destiny to fall. In 
 another part were all the necessaries of life, the 
 wealthy buying the more palatable things for his 
 table, the poor stopping and looking greedily upon a 
 handful of grain. Here a rich governor, in silk and 
 gaudy clothes, mounted on a spirited and richly 
 caparisoned horse, and followed by a host of idle and 
 insolent slaves; there a poor blind man groping his 
 way through the multitude, and fearing at every step 
 to be trodden down. Here a yard neatly fenced 
 
BAKTH, OVERWEG, AND RICHARDSON. 137 
 
 with reeds, and a clean, snug-looking cottage, the clay 
 walls nicely polished, a shutter of reeds placed against 
 the low well-rounded door, a cool shade for the daily 
 household work, a fine spreading alleluba-tree with its 
 deep shadow during the hottest hours of the day, or a 
 beautiful genda or papaya unfolding its large feather- 
 like leaves, or the tall date-tree waving over the 
 whole; the matron in a clean black cotton gown 
 wound round her waist,, her hair neatly dressed, busy 
 preparing the meal for her absent husband, or spinning 
 cotton, at the same time urging her female slaves to 
 pound the corn ; the children naked and merry, playing 
 about in the yard or chasing a stubborn goat ; earthen- 
 ware pots and wooden bowls, all cleanly washed, 
 standing in order. Further on, a dashing Cyprian, 
 homeless, childless, but affecting merriment, gaudily 
 ornamented with numerous strings of beads round 
 her neck, her hair bound with a diadem ; near 
 her a diseased wretch, covered with ulcers or with 
 elephantiasis." 
 
 The people, moreover, seem to be all employed. 
 Dr. Barth continues — 
 
 There is now a ' marina ' (an open terrace of 
 clay, with many dyeing pots), and the people busily 
 engaged in the various processes of their handicraft. 
 Further on a blacksmith, busy with his rude tools, 
 making a dagger which will surprise by its sharpness 
 those who feel disposed to laugh at the workman's 
 implements. In another place are men and women 
 making use of a little-frequented place to hang up 
 along the fences their cotton thread for weaving. 
 Here is a caravan arrived from Genja with the desired 
 
138 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 kola-nut, chewed by all who have *ten kurds' to 
 spare from their necessary wants ; or a caravan laden 
 with natron, starting for Niipe, or a troop of A'sbenawa, 
 going off with their salt for the neighbouring towns, or 
 some Arabs leading their camels, heavily laden with 
 the luxuries of the north and east ; and there a troop 
 of gaudy, warlike-looking horsemen galloping towards 
 the palace of the governor, to bring him the news of a 
 new inroad of Serki Ibram. Everywhere human life 
 in its varied forms, the most cheerful and the most 
 gloomy, seemed closely mixed together ; every variety 
 of natural form and complexion — the olive-coloured 
 Arab, the dark Kaniiri with his wide nostrils, the 
 small-featured, light, and slender Ba-Fellanchi, the 
 broad-faced Mandingo, the stout, large-boned, and 
 masculine-looking Niipe female, the well-proportioned 
 and comely Ba-Hanshe woman." 
 
 The general profession of the people is Moham- 
 medanism, yet there is a large amount of paganism 
 still existing, and rites really pagan are performed 
 in the province of Kano, as well as in that of Katsena. 
 Captain Clapperton estimated the population at between 
 30,000 and 40,000, Dr. Barth at about 30,000 ; but 
 this includes only the stationary population, for during 
 the busy time of the year, from January to x\pril, the 
 influx of strangers is so great, that there are pro- 
 bably in the place as many as 50,000. The commerce 
 of such a town must of course be considerable. The 
 principal article is the cotton cloth which is woven and 
 dyed there. Of this there are several varieties, some 
 of them being mixed with silk. Goods altogether of silk 
 are also manufactured, the silk being obtained from a 
 
BARTH, OYERWEG, AXD EICHAEDSOX. 
 
 139 
 
 worm which lives on the tamarind-tree. There is also 
 leather work produced, which is excellent ; and shoes, 
 sandals, and pouches, of remarkably neat workmanship, 
 are largely exported. The chief imports are the kola- 
 nut, which has become to these people as necessary as 
 tea and coffee are to us. There are also many slaves 
 bought and sold. The number of these Dr. Barth finds 
 it difficult to estimate, but he calculates that there 
 must be more than five thousand annually imported. 
 There must, however, be a much larger number, as the 
 supply for the domestic use of the inhabitants of the 
 province and of the adjoining districts is not included 
 in this estimate. Natron, salt, and European produce 
 of various kinds also find a ready market at Kano ; but 
 it is remarkable that the amount of En2:lish mer- 
 chandise to be seen in this great emporium of iS egroland 
 is small, calicoes and muslins being almost the only 
 English articles. Of the precious metals there is no 
 abundance. Gold is the general standard of value, but 
 it is not used as currency, — shells (kurdi), and a kind 
 of cloth termed turkedi," supplying the place of coin- 
 age. The whole province is supposed to contain more 
 than half a million inhabitants, about half of whom 
 are slaves. The rule of the governor, and a kind of 
 council associated with him, is, on the whole, not 
 oppressive, although, as among more civilised com- 
 munities, heavy taxation is not forgotten. 
 
 Barth, after about a month's residence, left Kano 
 and proceeded to Kiikawa, passing through the fron- 
 tier country, which is infested with thieves. In this 
 territory there is an immense level tract, which is 
 partly desert, and afterwards there occurs a more fertile 
 
140 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 region, in which the villages exhibited a cheerful picture 
 of wealth and industry, and then he entered "Bornu 
 Proper." It was here that he heard of the death of 
 Mr. Richardson, whom, within a week or two, he had 
 expected to meet again. He went on to Ngurutuwa, to 
 visit his grave, ^Ahich he found under a fig-tree, and 
 well protected with thorn bushes, for the stoiy of the 
 white man's untiuiely end had awakened the sympathies 
 of the people, and they had done him all honour in his 
 burial. Keeping on through the country, he found it 
 partly cultivated and partly covered with thick under- 
 wood, which was full of locusts. This was " the great 
 Komadugu of Bornu." A fine expanse of water came 
 in sight, and there w'ere many footprints of elephants. 
 Earth was attended only by two young servants, and 
 as they went onwards they came upon a company of 
 wandering herdsmen, who gave the travellers a cordial 
 welcome, bringing them immense bowls of milk and 
 " fresh butter prepared with as much cleanliness and 
 taste as in any English or Swiss dairy." These herds- 
 men are of the Fellatah tribe, but are permitted to 
 pasture their flocks even in the midst of a hostile race, 
 without paying any tribute to the Sheikh. These hos- 
 pitable people assisted the strangers to lord the 
 Komadugu, which was only three feet deep when they 
 crossed, although there were channels of greater depth 
 at either side ; nor would they leave them until they 
 had conducted them through the dense covert of 
 underwood which bordered the eastern bank of the 
 river. Great kindness, in various ways, was shown by 
 these people. It is indeed impossible to read of the 
 many humane services which Dr. Barth received at the 
 
BAETH, OVERWEG, AND RICHARDSON. 141 
 
 hands of these simple tribes, or his description of their 
 natural intelligence, their industry, and their domestic 
 habits, without earnestly desiring that they may be 
 speedily brought within the sphere of European 
 civilisation, and put in possession of the blessings of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 The authorities at Kukawa gave the traveller a 
 courteous reception, and he was afterwards put in 
 possession of Mr. Eichardson's papers and journals, 
 together with most of his effects. The Sheikh Omar, 
 whom he found to be a veritable black prince, was of 
 mild temper and indolent habits, ruling only in name, 
 — the real power being in the bands of his Vizier, el 
 Haj Beshir, an intelligent man, who in 1843 had gone 
 on a pilgrimage to Mecca, like a devout follower of the 
 Prophet, whose precepts respecting wine, and whose 
 licence as to his harem, he both of which duly observe^l. 
 This latter " institution " was on a royal scale, consisting 
 of between three and four hundred beauties of different 
 tribes, not only of Negroland, but of more Northern 
 climes — a real live Circassian, as he exultingly told Dr. 
 Barth, having a place among them. After having been 
 the Sheikh's right-hand man for many years, poor el 
 Haj Beshir was put to death in 1853, leaving behind 
 him a patriarchal family of seventy-three sons, and 
 daughters without number. On the whole this man 
 was not only intelligent but upright. Barth had many 
 conversations with him on the importance of extending 
 the commerce of Bornu, and of suppressing the slave- 
 trade. He fully acquiesced in the former ; and he also 
 acknowledged the misery connected with the latter, 
 but it was difficult to make him sensible of the horrors 
 
142 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 of slave-bunting. He was desirous of entering into 
 commercial relations with England, but wished the 
 sale of two things to be prohibited — spirituous liquors 
 and Bibles. The objection to the sale of Bibles is 
 curious, as he did not object to their being brought 
 into the country or given as presents. 
 
 A comfortable clay dwelling having been put at the 
 disposal of Barth and Overweg, they sought to make 
 themselves at home, and to become acquainted with 
 the town. Their abode consisted of several small 
 but neat rooms, with surrounding yards and thatched 
 huts, the whole being designated " the ICnglish house ;" 
 the town they found to be much inferior in population 
 and luxury to Kano. But Lake Tsad was the great 
 attraction, and under the care of an escort provided by 
 the Vizier they proceeded thither. It was the dry 
 season, and the spaces usually covered with water were 
 now grassy meadows. Passing over tliese, after little 
 more than half an hour's ride they " reached swampy 
 ground, and thus came to the margin of a fine open 
 sheet of water, encompassed with papyrus and tall reeds, 
 of from ten to fourteen feet in height, of two different 
 kinds, the one called ' mele,' and the other ' here ' or 
 ' bel^.' The thicket was interwoven by a climbing 
 plant with yellow flowers, while on the surface was a 
 floating plant, called facetiously by the natives, ' fanna- 
 villa-dago' (the homeless fauna). This creek was 
 called * Ngiruwa.' " 
 
 Coming upon deep w^ater full ol grass, they soon 
 reached another creek, and sighted two small boats 
 belonging to the pirates of the Tsad, small flat-boats, 
 made of the light and narrow Yfood of the fego," about 
 
BARTH, OYERWEG, AND IJICHAEDSON. 143 
 
 twelve feet long, and managed by two men each. They 
 went onward, startling large herds of kelara — a pecu- 
 liar kind of antelope which is fond of the water, and in 
 their progress they became immersed so deeply in water 
 that they might have drunk of it by stooping down 
 a little, though on horseback. The draught was not 
 tempting, however, for the water was very warm and 
 full of vegetable matter. It is perfectly fresh. The 
 view which is given us of this great water-space is 
 deeply interesting. It is a huge inland sea, spreading 
 out its placid waters, its banks fringed with gigantic 
 reeds, sheltering many hippopotami, with light barks 
 floating on its surface, some with gleaming white sails 
 in the far distance. The people on the islands build 
 boats of twenty feet long, though narrow. One which 
 accompanied Mr. Overweg on a voyage which he made 
 on these waters was nearly fifty feet long, although 
 only six and a half wide. Dr. Barth says, "I inva- 
 riably understood from all the people with whom I 
 spoke about this interesting lake, that the open water, 
 with its islands of elevated sandy dowms, stretches from 
 the mouth of the Shary towards the western shore, and 
 that all the rest of the lake consists of swampy meadow 
 lands, occasionally inundated. Indeed, Tsad, or Tsade, 
 is nothing else but another form for Shary, Shari, or 
 Sari." 
 
 In May 1851, Dr. Barth went on a journey south- 
 wards to Adamaua, where he hoped to be able to trace 
 the eastern branch of the Niger, and proceeded along 
 a dreary country, where the footprints of the giraffe 
 were first visible, and in which wild hogs abounded. 
 Farther on there were corn-fields, cotton-fields, and, in 
 
IM 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 one instance, a dyeiug place, giving proof of a certain 
 amount of industry in the villages, which now became 
 numerous. In passing through the border country of 
 the Marghi, a pagan tribe, he was struck with the 
 symmetry of the forms and features of the people, who, 
 in maDy instances, had nothing of the Negro type. 
 They seemed, moreover, a pleasant, good-natured race, 
 whom it was sad to see so unmercifully trodden down 
 by their Mohammedan neighbours. Passing the village 
 of I'sge, the first view of Mount Mendefi was obtained, 
 which, since it was seen by Major Denham on his 
 adventurous expedition, has become so celebrated in 
 Europe, occasioning all sorts of conjectures and theories. 
 From a close examination he concludes that it is not 
 the centre of any considerable mountain mass, but a 
 detached cone, rising from a level plain, and probably 
 of volcanic origin. 
 
 Ten days' journey brought them to the border of 
 Adamaua, and they took up their abode in Miibi, the 
 first village. They were accommodated by the governor 
 in a spacious and cool hut, with a courtyard, and for his 
 courtesy they presented him with ten sheets of paper — 
 a, gift so munificent to one who, although claiming to 
 be a man of learning, had never before seen so much 
 writing material together," that his delight was un- 
 bounded. When they again set out on their journey, 
 the whole village was excited by a marvellous novelty ; 
 but, says Barth, naively, *' the wonder was not ourselves, 
 but our camel." Many had never seen one at all, and 
 it was fifteen years since the last had passed along this 
 road. The people here are remarkably courteous. 
 Ground nuts form a large proportion of the food of the 
 
BAETH, OVERWEG, AND RICHARDSON. 115 
 
 inhabitants — as potatoes in Europe. Corn is also 
 grown, and the fields are adorned with the butter-tree, 
 which is greatly valued. People were everywhere 
 busy in the fields, and the country altogether presented 
 a pleasant aspect of industry. A wild and hilly 
 district succeeded, and then they entered the village 
 of Sarauri, very neat in the construction of its huts, 
 and abundant in its proofs of domestic comfort. The 
 vegetation was rich, and the country was open and 
 pleasant. Forests and cultivated ground followed, and 
 then corn-fields, where the corn (Pennisetum) stood 
 already five feet high, and indications of watercourses' 
 and tracks of the hippopotamus showed that they were 
 approaching the great artery of the country. In the 
 immediate neighbourhood of the water there were 
 great ant-hills, ranged in almost parallel lines, and in 
 the distance was Mount Alantika, a large and isolated 
 mass rising abruptly on the east side, and forming a 
 more gradual slope towards the west, exhibiting a 
 smooth and broad top, which must be spacious, inas- 
 much as it contains the estates of seven indepen- 
 dent chiefs. Its height was estimated at between 
 seven thousand and eight thousand feet. But the 
 principal object of interest was the river Be-nuwe, which 
 they came upon just where it is joined by the rapid 
 Faro. Earth says : — 
 
 " As I looked from the bank over the scene before 
 me, I was quite enchanted, although the whole country 
 bore the character of a desolate wilderness ; but there 
 could scarcely be any great traces of human industry 
 near the river, as during its floods it inundates the 
 whole country on both sides. The principal river — the 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 Be-nuvve — flowed here from east to west, in a broad 
 and majestic course, through an entirely open country, 
 from which, only here and there, detached mountains 
 started forth. The banks on our side rose to twenty 
 feet, while just opposite to my station, behind a pointed 
 headland of sand, the Faro rushed forth, appearing 
 from this point not much inferior to the Be-nuwe, 
 and coming in a fine sweep from the south-east, where 
 it disappeared in the plain, but was traced by me in 
 thought upwards to the steep eastern foot of the 
 Alantika. The river below the junction keeping the 
 direction of the principal branch, but making a slight 
 bend to the north, ran along the northern foot of 
 Mount Bagele, and was there lost to the eye, but 
 followed in thought through the mountainous region 
 of the Bachama and Zina to Namarruwa, and thence 
 along the industrious country of Kororefa, till it joined 
 the great western river, the Kwara, or Niger, and 
 
 conjointly with it ran towards the great ocean 
 
 I had now with my own eyes clearly established the 
 direction and nature of this mighty river, and there 
 could no longer be any doubt that this river joins 
 the majestic watercourse explored by Messrs. Allen, 
 Laird, and Oldfield. Hence I cherish the well-founded 
 conviction that, along this natural high-road, European 
 influence and commerce will penetrate into the very 
 heart of the continent, and abolish slavery — or rather 
 those infamous slave hunts and religious wars spreading 
 devastation and desolation all around. . . . The river, 
 where we crossed it, was, at the very least, eight 
 hundred yards broad, and in its channel generally 
 eleven feet deep, and was liable to rise, under ordinary 
 
BABTH, OVERWEG, AND EICHAEDSON. 
 
 147 
 
 circumstances, at times thirty, or even fifty, feet higher. 
 .... The second river, the Faro, is stated to come 
 from Mount Labul, about seven days' march to the 
 south. It was at present about six hundred yards 
 broad, bat generally not exceeding two feet in depth ; 
 its current, however, is extremely violent. We next 
 entered upon low meadow-land, overgrown with tall 
 reed-grass, which, a month later, is entirely inundated 
 to such a depth that only the crowns of the tallest trees 
 are seen rising above the water, of which they bore 
 unmistakable traces, the highest line thus marked 
 being about sixty feet above the present level of the 
 river. . . . My companions from Adamaua were almost 
 unanimous in representing the waters as preserving 
 their highest level for forty days, which, according to 
 their accounts, would extend from about the 20th of 
 August till the end of September. This statement of 
 mine, made, not from my own experience, but from 
 the information of the natives, has been but slightly 
 modified by the experience of those eminent men sent 
 out by Her Majesty's Government in the Pleiad. That 
 the fall of the river, at this point of the junction, begins 
 at the very end of September, has been exactly con- 
 firmed by these gentlemen." 
 
 The way, on leaving the river, led through a fine 
 park-like plain, dotted with a few mimosas of middling 
 size, and clear of underwood ; and, as the travellers 
 proceeded onward, they came upon beautiful views of 
 cultivated country, enlivened by numerous herds of 
 cattle, with many villages and rich corn-fields. Next 
 comes Mount Bagele, inhabited in its neighbourhood, 
 and especially in its fastnesses, by tribes which have 
 
148 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 long maintained their independence — an independence 
 whicli, it is to be feared, has not only already been 
 partly compromised, but which is likely to be farther 
 encroached upon. Still passing through a beautiful 
 country, Dr. Barth reached the capital of Adamaua— 
 Tola — a large, open place, consisting, with few excep- 
 tions, of conical huts, surrounded by spacious court- 
 yards, and even by corn-fields, the houses of the 
 governor and those of his brothers being alone built 
 of clay. The travellers were cordially welcomed, the 
 people crowding round to shake hands with the white 
 man. Even the governor was most polite and friendly, 
 but positively refused to allow him to proceed. Con- 
 ference and negotiation were vain, and, after days spent 
 in such unprofitable endeavours, the poor sick traveller 
 received an order to leave the town instantly. Morti- 
 fied at this unexpected failure of his project of journey- 
 ing farther south, and weak from fever, he was lifted 
 on his horse and departed. Yola, which was thus the 
 most southerly point of Dr. Earth's journey, is a new 
 town, with little trade or manufacture. Slavery exists 
 both in the town and the surrounding country on an 
 immense scale. There are many persons who own 
 more than a thousand slaves ! The tribute received 
 yearly by the governor is paid in horses, cattle, and 
 slaves, and of that the slave portion is said to be five 
 thousand. 
 
 On his return journey the exceeding beauty of the 
 country again interested the traveller, as did also the 
 comfort of the dwellings of the tribes through which 
 he had occasion to pass. The customs of these tribes 
 are sometimes curious : for example, their ordeal on 
 
BAETH, OVERWEO, AND RICHARDSON. 149 
 
 the holy granite rock of Kobshi. When two parties 
 have come into litigation, each of them takes the cock 
 which he thinks best for fighting, and they go together 
 to Kobshi. Having arrived at the holy rock, they set 
 their birds fighting, and he whose cock prevails in the 
 combat is also the winner in point of litigation. More- 
 over, the master of the defeated bird is punished by 
 the divinity whose anger he has thus provoked, and, 
 on returning to the village, he finds his hut in flames. 
 The worship of these tribes is performed in holy 
 groves, and, like many others, they venerate their 
 ancestors. The people are of Berber origin, and many 
 customs of great antiquity subsist among them. Thus 
 the Kamiri, even in the present day, especially their 
 kings, are called after the name of their mother; 
 and, although they should be Mahometans, as some of 
 them are, the custom still continues. The ancient 
 form of election in respect to the king among the 
 people of Bornu seems to lead us back to ancient Egypt. 
 On the death of the monarch, three of the most distin- 
 guished men of the country were appointed to choose a 
 successor' from among the deceased king's sons. The 
 choice being made, the three electors proceeded to the 
 apartment of the sovereign elect, and conducted him in 
 silence to the place in which lay the corpse of his 
 deceased father. There, over the body, the newly- 
 elected king entered into an agreement, sanctioned by 
 oath, binding himself to respect the ancient institu- 
 tions, and employ himself for the glory of his country. 
 A similar custom obtains in the province of Miiniyo at 
 the present day. Every newly-elected Miiniyoma is in 
 duty bound to remain for seven days in a cave, hollowed 
 
150 
 
 AFKIOA. 
 
 out by nature or by the hand of man, in the rock be- 
 hind the place of sepulchre of the former Miiniyoma, in 
 the ancient town of Gammasak, although that town is 
 quite deserted and does not contain a living soul. 
 
 When our traveller drew near to Kiikawa, three 
 appointed horsemen met him, and conducted him to his 
 house with all honour. The Yizier received him in the 
 presence of a great multitude, and kindly condoled with 
 him on his illness. The rainy season having now set 
 in, Dr. Barth remained for a time at Kiikawa, and then 
 made an excursion to Kanem, keeping along the shores 
 of Lake Tsad. Here he found cotton-fields ; cotton, a 
 little wheat, fish from the lake, and the fruit of the 
 diim palm," being the sole produce. Of fish there are 
 several palatable kinds, and among them one resembling 
 the mullet, eighteen or twenty inches long. The elec- 
 tric fish is also found here. While on the shores of the 
 lake, he had the good fortune to enjoy one of the most 
 interesting sights which these regions can possibly 
 afford — a whole herd of elephants, arranged in regular 
 array, like an army of rational beings, proceeding to the 
 water. They were ninety-six in number; the huge 
 males marched first, the young ones followed at a little 
 distance, and in a third line were the females, the whole 
 being brought up by five males of immense size. These 
 turned to notice the travellers, and threw dust into the 
 air as though in defiance, but not being disturbed, they 
 passed quietly on. The next zoological experience was 
 not so pleasant ; this was a large snake hanging in a 
 threatening attitude from the branches of a tree. It was 
 shot, and measured 18 feet 7 inches, its diameter being 
 5 inches; it was beautifully variegated. Further on 
 
BARTH, OYERWEO, AND RICHAEDSON. 151 
 
 they reached the encampment of the Welad Sliman, a 
 wild horde, who welcomed them, starting from the 
 thicket right and left, firing their muskets, and uttering 
 the cry, " Ya riyab, ya riyab ! " By and by the whole 
 cavalry of the Welad Sliman appeared, drawn up in a 
 line, in their best attire, and headed by their chiefs. 
 Eiding up to the travellers, they saluted them with 
 their pistols in true Eastern style, and Barth and 
 Overweg were conducted to the encampment of these 
 Arab robbers. 
 
 The Welad Sliman are a brave, fierce tribe ; originally 
 driven from the Syrtis, they have established them- 
 selves in this border region of Negroland. The tra- 
 vellers, during their stay, had full opportunity of know- 
 ing the sort of life these people lived. On the night 
 of their arrival a violent screaming issued from the 
 women's tents, and it was found that another robber 
 tribe had made an attack upon the camels, killed a 
 horseman, and carried away a part of the herd. " To 
 the saddle ! " was the cry ; the robbers were pursued, and 
 the camels retaken ; but the wail of the women over 
 the slain men rang mournfully through the night. In 
 a day or two there was a fresh cause of disturbance. 
 The handsomest of the female slaves, intended for the 
 establishment of the Vizier, had escaped. Search was 
 made for her diligently, and at length her necklace, 
 her clothes, and a few remaining bones showed that she 
 had fallen a prey to the wild beasts. Soon after, discord 
 broke out among the leaders ; and many of the tribe 
 left, impatient of the rule of the young chief. One day, 
 during the season of these disturbances, a Zebu chief- 
 tain paid a "friendly" visit to Dr. Barth, and, before 
 
152 AFEICA. 
 
 leaving, quietly requested to be accommodated with 
 a little poison, which was, of course, refused. For- 
 tunately, the exhibition of a watch, and the wonders of 
 a musical-box, conciliated the savage. Other foemen 
 approached, and " To the saddle ! " was again the cry. 
 The travellers, not too soon, concluded that it would be 
 their wisdom to proceed on their journey, ' and they 
 hurried through a well-watered country, stopping at a 
 village where the people kindly welcomed them, in- 
 quiring about England, and whether the English were 
 friendly towards them. The intelligence of these native 
 tribes contrasted strongly with that of the Welad 
 Sliman. The course still lay through cultivated dis- 
 tricts, date-trees, cotton-fields, and corn-fields. Here, 
 again, a party of " the covetous Arab freebooters " began 
 to indulge in their predatory habits, at the expense 
 of the owners of the small flocks of sheep belonging to 
 the neighbouring valley. But they were repulsed, and 
 their booty was small ; and, as a just retaliation, 
 another plundering horde attacked them, and compelled 
 them to abandon their whole spoil, and flee for their 
 lives. Finding that a caravan was being formed to go 
 to Kiikawa, and now satisfied that their present mode 
 of travelling was hazardous and comparatively useless, 
 Barth and Overweg resolved to go with it, regretting to 
 leave the eastern shore of Lake Tsad unexplored. 
 
 At Kiikawa there was an expedition about to proceed 
 against Mandara, and, desirous of visiting as many 
 localities as possible, and of becoming acquainted with 
 every phase of life in these regions. Dr. Barth joined it. 
 There was an imposing army, headed by the Sheikh and 
 his Vizier. The ostensible object was war against 
 
BARTH, OVERWEG, AND RICHARDSON. 153 
 
 Mandara, but the real purpose was to fall upon the un- 
 protected villages by the way, and to plunder and burn 
 them, and seize their inhabitants for slaves ; this being 
 the ordinary and popular plan for filling the Sheikh's 
 exchequer. The slave-rooms of the great men were 
 moreover, at the time, remarkably empty. The army, 
 on this occasion, consisted of nearly twenty thousand 
 men, and it made an imposing appearance. The heavy 
 cavalry were clad in thick wadded clothing, others in 
 coats of mail with their tin helmets glittering in the 
 sun, and mounted on large heavy chargers. Then the 
 light Shiiwa horsemen, clad only in a loose shirt, and 
 mounted on mean-looking horses ; the slaves decked out 
 in red bernouses, or silks of various colours ; next, the 
 Kanombii spearmen, with their large wooden shields, 
 their aprons, and their strange head-dresses ; while the 
 train of camels and pack-oxen closed the long array, 
 pressing onwards to the unknown regions toward the 
 south-west. 
 
 The progress of this military force was very melan- 
 choly. They marched through luxuriant corn-fields, 
 cutting down what they chose, and trampling down 
 what they left ; lopping off the branches of the finest 
 trees for tent fences, and pursuing and killing every 
 native man they could find. Dr. Barth expresses his 
 disgust at joining this expedition ; but justly remarks 
 that only by this means could he ascertain whether 
 the reports of the cruelties in these slave hunts 
 were true or exaggerated, and also whether the unfor- 
 tunate tribes were really the savages they were repre- 
 sented to be. On both of these questions his testimony 
 is ample and most conclusive. So far from being mere 
 
154 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 savages, the villages of these unfortunate tribes bore 
 witness to no small degree of civilisation among their 
 inhabitants. The huts were neatly constructed of clay, 
 with thatched roofs of various forms, probably indicating 
 varieties of rank ; each was neatly inclosed by a clay 
 wall, and each had its thatched granary, its cooking- 
 place, and its water jars. Most of these villages were 
 overshadowed by beautiful trees, and corn and cotton- 
 fields — in one instance tobacco — and flocks of sheep and 
 goats, and herds of cattle, showed the industry of the 
 people. Another mark of civilisation was the careful 
 preservation of the dead in regular sepulchres, covered 
 in with large well-rounded vaults, the tops of which 
 were adorned with a couple of beams, cross-laid, or by 
 an earthen urn. The meaning of the cross-beams it 
 is not easy to conjecture, but the urn in all probability 
 contains the head of the deceased. 
 
 The slave hunts are described as fearfully barbarous. 
 The usual mode of proceeding is for large numbers of 
 armed men to attack a village, set it on fire, and then 
 seize the flying women and children, cutting down the 
 men who resist, or who are overtaken in their flight. 
 On one occasion. Dr. Barth passed a burning village 
 which only a few moments before had been the abode of 
 comfort and happiness ; and at Kakala, one of the most 
 considerable villages in the Miisgu country, he found 
 that, after some skirmishing, nearly a thousand slaves 
 were brought in. Not fewer than a hundred and 
 seventy full-grown men were mercilessly slaughtered 
 in cold blood ! — the greater part of them being allowed 
 to bleed to death, a leg having been severed from 
 the body. 
 
BARTH, OYERWEG, AND RICHARDSON. 155 
 
 This expedition, with so large an army and the de- 
 struction of so many villages, led to poor results. There 
 were captured ten thousand cattle and about three 
 thousand slaves, the greater half of them being so 
 decrepit that they could scarcely walk, and infants and 
 children under eight years old. The number of full- 
 grown men was about three hundred. The encourage- 
 ment of industry and trade is the most likely means of 
 suppressing this infamous traffic, and the desire of the 
 natives for trade with Europeans seems to indicate that 
 the time is at hand. Keturning from this expedition, a 
 rather more easterly course was taken, and the Eiver 
 Logon was approached. The surrounding country was 
 found to be extensively cultivated, and well-watered. 
 Both men and women are passionately fond of smoking. 
 
 The next journey was to the westward, to Baghirmi. 
 The traveller, on this occasion, had but one horse and 
 a camel, and was attended only by two young lads. The 
 country traversed was less fertile, the inhabitants less 
 industrious, and several towns which were passed were 
 in a condition of decay. Karnak Logon, the capital of 
 the province of Logon, is a place of considerable size, 
 and the palace of the Sultan, though clay, a rather 
 superior building. The Sultan granted the traveller an 
 interview, and graciously accepted a present of Turkish 
 trousers and some articles of hardware, being most of 
 all delighted with a few darning needles, " for he had 
 never seen their like ;" he therefore carefully counted 
 them, and assigned them to their respective owners in 
 the harem. The only return requested in connection 
 with this splendid present was permission to navigate 
 the river, and this was at once conceded. The scenery 
 
156 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 on the banks of the river was beautiful. Shortly after 
 having begun his exploration, Dr. Barth was startled 
 by the sudden appearance of an old man who, with an 
 imperious air, forbade him to survey the river, and 
 ordered him to retrace his steps directly. Having had 
 the permission of the Sultan, he was naturally con- 
 founded. But he was informed that this was the king 
 of the waters, the *' maralegha," and that he had full 
 authority over the river. The traveller had known 
 about the authority of the king of the river in the 
 regions of the Niger, but was not aware of the preva- 
 lence of the custom here. There was much talk in the 
 town about this desire to survey the river, and, when 
 the Yizier was appealed to, he was anxious to know if, 
 once embarked in a boat, Barth might not jump out in 
 order to search for gold ; when the traveller told him he 
 was rather afraid of the crocodiles. This considerably 
 alleviated suspicion, for these people had supposed 
 Europeans to be a sort of supernatural beings exempt 
 from every kind of fear. At eight o'clock the next 
 morning, therefore. Dr. Barth went on board his boat, 
 and proceeded on his expedition. He found along the 
 shore a tall reed, which, as on the shores of the Tsad, was 
 the true papyrus, from which the natives prepare a 
 kind of cloth. The name Shari signifies nothing more 
 specific than " the river." 
 
 On this occasion there was no interference by the 
 king of the river ; but nearly half the inhabitants of 
 the town had come out to see what the Christian was 
 doing. A crocodile having raised its head. Dr. Barth 
 fired at it, and the crowd burst into loud acclamations 
 as they admired the deed. But the notion that the 
 
BARTH, OVERWEG, AND RICHARDSON. 157 
 
 stranger was searching for gold was uppermost in their 
 minds ; and when, soon afterwards, tempted by the 
 smoothness and coolness of the stream, he jumped over- 
 board, there was great shouting among them ; but 
 when they saw him come out empty-handed they 
 declared that they had been cheated, for they had 
 certainly been told that he was searching for gold. 
 We are not informed whether any gold was ever found 
 in this river; but the unhesitating and general belief of 
 the people leaves little room for doubt that there must 
 have been. " This little excursion," says Dr. Barth, 
 " cost me dear, for the people of Baghirmi seeing me 
 creating such an uproar, felt inclined to suppose that 
 if I entered their own country, I might create a dis- 
 turbance " there ; and their fears and jealousies no 
 doubt led to the detentions and annoyances which soon 
 after followed. The people of this province are not 
 industrious. Still, they are neither savage nor totally 
 idle. They cultivate and weave cotton, and produce a 
 beautiful kind of lattice-work, while their ingenuity is 
 also proved by their ornamental wooden bowls, and 
 their productions in designs worked in straw. Their 
 women are said to be very handsome. 
 
 Leaving Karnak Logon, the next region was one 
 which had never before been trodden by European 
 feet; and after proceeding some distance, there was 
 beheld through the branches of the trees the splendid 
 sheet of a large river, the pellucid surface of which 
 was undisturbed by the slightest breeze. This was the 
 real Shari, the great river of the Kokoto, which, 
 augmented by the smaller but very considerable river 
 of Logon, forms the large basin which gives to this 
 
158 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 part of Negroland its characteristic feature. Desiring 
 to cross it, Barth was refused a passage by the ferry- 
 man. His fame had preceded him ; he was said to be 
 a most dangerous person, who might even ruin the 
 kingdom of Baghirmi. Kesolved not to lose the object 
 for which he had journeyed so far, he endeavoured to 
 cross by stealth, and succeeded ; but his movements 
 had been watched, and while resting in the shade, the 
 head man of the neighbouring village came upon 
 him with an armed escort, and prohibited his further 
 progress. He remained in the village for several 
 days, strongly suspected by the inhabitants. He was 
 then sent from one place to another, and when, wearied 
 with delays, he sought to return to his starting-point, 
 he was seized and laid in irons. Ultimately, under 
 the care of a benevolent native, he was conducted to 
 Ma-sena, the capital. In the absence of the Sultan, 
 the governor apologized to him for the treatment 
 which he had received, and restored to him all that 
 had been taken from him. 
 
 After a stay of more than two mouths, there came 
 the intelligence that the absent Sultan was really at 
 hand; and, ere long, he appeared in barbaric pomp, 
 being preceded by his cavalry, mounted himself on 
 his war horse, shaded with red and green umbrellas, 
 fanned by ostrich plumes borne on long poles, and 
 followed by the " war camel " bearing the kettle-drums, 
 on which the drummer was exerting his utmost skill 
 and strength. The royal household followed, and, 
 conspicuous in the procession, were forty-five female 
 favourites, each mounted on horseback, and dressed 
 in black native cloth, each having a slave on either side. 
 
THE ASHANTEE WAR. 
 
 159 
 
 After all the dangers and difficulties of the journey it is 
 gratifying to know that it was not fruitless. The Sultan, 
 finding that he was not likely to bewitch him, willingly 
 gave him all the liberty of exploration which he desired, 
 furnished him with specimens of the manufactures 
 of the country, and promised his protection to any 
 future travellers who might visit his dominions. 
 
 Mr. Overweg had, meanwhile, been making an 
 excursion into the south-western mountainous regions 
 of Bornu ; and when the two travellers met, Dr. Barth 
 was alarmed at the sickly look of his companion. 
 Days passed, change of scene was procured and other 
 means were employed; but violent fever supervened, 
 delirium came on, and after a few hours of insensibility, 
 he died. His sorrowing and desolate friend laid his 
 bodily remains in his grave in the afternoon of the 
 same day, beneath the shade of a spreading tree, " on 
 the very borders of that lake by the navigation of which 
 he had made his name celebrated for ever." Mr. Overweg 
 had not completed the thirtieth year of his age. 
 
 Dr. Barth soon afterwards returned home. 
 
 Dr. Earth's travels were nearer to the territory of 
 Ashantee than any other which are narrated in detail in 
 these pages. There being in England considerable 
 interest in the war which has been waged with that 
 kingdom, this is the proper place to introduce a few 
 statements in respect to it. 
 
 Ashantee, or Ashanti, is an extensive native kingdom 
 lying along the Gold Coast of Guinea, and extending 
 from 4° 37' to 10° N. lat., and from 4° 48' W. to 1° 10' 
 E. long. It is therefore about two hundred and eighty 
 
160 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 miles in length and as many in breadth. It is a 
 mountainous country, but the eminences are not abrupt 
 or precipitous. It does not lie in any of the basins of 
 the great African rivers, but it is well watered. Along 
 the coast there are the embouchures of several large 
 streams, the various affluents of which intersect the 
 country in every direction. The Asinee is a considerable 
 stream which is usually reckoned the line of separation 
 between the Gold and Ivory coasts ; and it forms, for 
 some miles from its mouth, the western limit of Ashantee. 
 The Yolta, or Asweda, is the largest of the Ashantee 
 rivers, and it runs into the sea in 30' E. long. Its 
 length is estimated at about four hundred miles. There 
 are several lakes which, in the rainy season, frequently 
 overflow their boundaries. 
 
 The heat and unhealthiness of the coast of Guinea 
 are well known. This is on account of the scorchins: 
 days followed by chilly nights, but more particularly is 
 due to a sulphureous mist which rises from the valleys 
 and the neighbourhood of rivers in the mornings, 
 especially during the rainy season. The interior of 
 the country is more healthy. Like other tropical 
 territories, Ashantee has its dry and rainy seasons, or 
 rather two rainy and one dry season in each year. 
 The first rains, ushered in by violent tornadoes, occur 
 about the latter end of May or the beginning of June. 
 These are followed by fogs and haziness, extremely per- 
 nicious and particularly powerful in July and August. 
 The second rains come on in October, and after them 
 is the dry and hot season, which continues till April. 
 
 Elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, buffaloes, deer, 
 antelopes, goats, a])es, monkeys, and baboons are among 
 
THE ASHANTEE WAR. 
 
 161 
 
 the harmless kinds of animals ; but there are also lions, 
 tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, and wild boars among 
 those of a ferocious sort. The rivers swarm with hippo- 
 potami and alligators. Serpents, scorpions, and lizards 
 are numerous. 
 
 Bowdich estimates the population of Ashantee proper 
 at one million ; and the whole empire, or as including 
 the territories which submit to the rule of the kino^ of 
 Ashantee, at three millions, or about the population of 
 Scotland. 
 
 The men are well made, and free to a considerable ex- 
 tent from the peculiarities of the negro form and feature. 
 Both sexes are cleanly, washing from head to foot 
 every day, and afterwards anointing themselves with the 
 grease of the shea, or butter-tree, which is a good cosmetic, 
 and a preservation of the skin in so hot a climate. 
 
 The clothes of the better class consist of immense 
 cloaks, sometimes made of the most costly silks. The 
 war-dress substitutes for this a close vest, covered with 
 metal ornaments and scraps of Moorish writing, as 
 spells against danger, loose cotton drawers, and large 
 boots of dull red leather. The superior chiefs have 
 gold breastplates ; and all who can procure the in 
 wear gold ornaments in profusion. 
 
 Bosman enumerates five degrees or orders of society, 
 — the king, the caboceers, the gentry, the traders, and 
 the slaves ; but besides the king there is, in fact, but 
 one distinction, that of slave and freeman. The 
 caboceers, or magistrates of towns and villages, are 
 taken indiscriminately from the gentry ; and these, 
 again, are merely such as have enriched themselves by 
 trade or inheritance, and who, not infrequently, were 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 born slaves. The occupations of trade are practised 
 alike by the poorer freemen and the better class of 
 slaves. The intercourse between the sexes is on the 
 worst possible footing. Marriage is effected by the 
 payment of a sum of money to the parents of the bride, 
 and by a family feast. There are certain forms to be 
 gone through, but this is the substance of the contract. 
 Polygamy is legal, but there are not many who have 
 more than one Avife. 
 
 Well- stocked and well-regulated markets are held in 
 the towns, for the supply of the necessaries of life, and 
 for European manufactures. The poorer classes live 
 almost exclusively on fish and dhomrah. The common 
 drink is palm wine. 
 
 At all festivals and public occasions the most brutal 
 excesses and cruelties are practised. Eum and palm 
 wine are swallowed like water, till a state of mad in- 
 toxication is induced, in which hundreds of human 
 victims are sacrificed. The death of a free person is 
 almost alw^ays attended by the slaughter of a human 
 being, to " wet the grave ;" and that of a chief in- 
 variably causes a frightful sacrifice of life. If a man of 
 ordiDary rank marry a royal female, he must be killed 
 on his wife's grave, if he should survive her ; and the 
 ocras, or personal attendants on the king, are all 
 murdered on their master's grave, together with many 
 others, male and female, often amounting to some 
 thousands. 
 
 The labour of clearing away obstructions in a rankly 
 luxurious soil is the chief employment of the Ashantee 
 agriculturist; and in this his chief instrument is fire; 
 by means of which he both clears the ground and 
 
THE ASHANTEE WAR. 
 
 163 
 
 spreads a mass of rich manure upon the soil. The only- 
 implement in use is a rude hoe ; but this is sufficient 
 in productive grounds, flooded twice a year, to produce 
 two crops of most kinds of corn, and an abundant supply 
 of yams and rice. The plantations are laid out wdth 
 considerable order, and the cultivated grounds are 
 somewhat extensive, though not adequate to the wants 
 of the consumers. Though they do not smelt metals, 
 the Ashantees, like some others of the African nations, 
 have blacksmiths and goldsmiths of a grade superior to 
 what might be expected. The fineness, variety, and 
 brilliance of the native cloths would not disgrace an 
 English loom. They have also dyers, potters, tanners, 
 and carpenters. Of the handiwwk of the Ashantees 
 there are not a few specimens to be seen in Case G 
 in the Ethnological Eoom of the British Museum. 
 
 Before the dominion of the Ashantee king extended 
 so far, there were various forms of government among 
 the people over w^hom he now bears rule — some, as 
 Fantee and Mina, being republics; while others, and 
 by far the larger number, were despotisms. Now, all 
 are alike brought under the Ashantee constitution — the 
 legislative power of which lies professedly in the king, 
 an aristocracy consisting of only four persons, and the 
 assembly of caboceers or captains ; the aristocracy was 
 formerly much more numerous, but the number has 
 been gradually reduced by uniting the stool or seat of 
 authority of a deceased noble to that of one still living, 
 till the present result has been arrived at. On all 
 questions of foreign policy the aristocracy has nomi- 
 nally a voice equal to the king's, extending even to a 
 veto on his decisions ; but the strong will of the chief 
 
161 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 ruler always bears down opposition to his personal 
 policy. The present king, Koffee, is about thirty-four 
 years of age. His mother is the rightful heir to the 
 throne, and he is much under her influence. 
 
 The laws are especially sanguinary, including death in 
 cruel forms and mutilation. The aristocracy are exempt 
 from capital punishment, but they may be despoiled. 
 The king's family are not, however, exempted from 
 the punishment of death ; but their blood must not be 
 shed. If this punishment be awarded them, they are 
 drowned in the Dah. 
 
 The revenue, so far as can be ascertained, consists 
 of — 1st. The gold of deceased persons, and the goods of 
 all kinds which may belong to disgraced nobles ; 2nd. 
 A tax on slaves purchased for the coast ; 3rd. The gold 
 mines and washings in Sokoo, Dinkra, Akim, and 
 Assin ; 4th. The washings of the market-place ; and 
 5th. Tributes from conquered states. 
 
 Of religion they may be said to have really none. 
 Along the whole of the Gold Coast, including Ashantee, 
 it is believed that the Great Spirit, after creating 
 three white and as many black men and women, placed 
 before them a large calabash and a sealed paper, giving 
 to the black race the choice of the two. They took the 
 calabash, which contained gold, iron, and the choicest 
 productions of the earth ; but left them in ignorance of 
 their use and application. The paper, on the contrary, 
 instructed the white' man in everything; made him the 
 favourite of the Great Spirit, and gave him that supe- 
 riority which the Negroes readily acknowledge. From 
 this legend it appears that these people have among 
 them some lingering notion of one Supreme Deity ; but 
 
THE ASHANTEE WAE. 
 
 165 
 
 they have, notwithstanding, lapsed into the absurdities 
 of fetishism, or the lowest and grossest forms of idolatry. 
 They have an evil principle of whom they stand in 
 dread ; and one of the most solemn ceremonies of many 
 tribes is an assembly of men, women, and children, for 
 the purpose of driving the evil spirit from the towns and 
 villages. They have no intelligent belief in the future 
 state — kings, priests, and caboceers being believed, 
 after death, to reside with the Great Spirit in an 
 eternal renewal of their earthly state ; the sacrifice of 
 so many human beings on the graves of their kings being 
 intended to supply them with attendants in the other 
 world. The victims, it is affirmed, are not always un- 
 willing, since they believe that they will thus partake of 
 the superior heaven of their chiefs — their own being at 
 best merely a release from labour in the house of some 
 inferior fetish. A large number of charms, omens, lucky 
 and unlucky days, and an implicit submission to the 
 fetish, complete the superstition of the Ashantees. There 
 are many Mahometans among the Ashantees, some, by 
 their lighter complexion, being manifestly of Arabic 
 origin, while the majority are not distinguishable from 
 other Negroes. Christian missionaries are discouraged ; 
 and even when any of their number have proceeded to 
 Coomassie to intercede with the king on behalf of 
 persons doomed to die, it has been at the imminent 
 risk of their own lives. Several members of the Basle 
 mission were imprisoned, although they went as traders. 
 
 The early history of the Ashantee nation is obscure, 
 as might be supposed, but in 1640 they seem to have 
 been located in the midst of their present possessions, 
 and occasionally exercising an influence over the 
 
166 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 surrounding states of Akim, Assin, Quahou, and 
 Akeya. For nearly a century later, the paramount 
 state in the gold countries was Dinkra. At about 
 that time Dinkra was conquered, and the extension 
 of Ashantee proceeded rapidly. One by one the 
 different states between the rivers Yolta and Asinee 
 were subdued ; and in 1807, the invasion of Fantee 
 brought the Ashantees into collision with the British. 
 Cape Coast Castle, the principal fort of the British on 
 the Grold Coast, was in the Fantee country, and held, 
 like the other European forts upon that coast, not as a 
 territorial right, but at a rent from the native govern- 
 ment. After the conquest the rent was claimed, and 
 paid 4o the King of Ashantee ; but some difficulty 
 having occurred as to the recognising of his sovereignty, 
 two embassies (those of Bowdich and Dupuis) were 
 sent to the court of Coomassie. These resulted in a 
 treaty in 1820 ; but the Ashantees were not faithful to 
 their engagements, and upon remonstrance being made 
 they declared war against the British, and in January 
 1824 the governor of Cape Coast, at the head of one 
 thousand men, was totally defeated by the enemy. In 
 1826, the Ashantees suffered a ruinous defeat from the 
 English, and another treaty was entered into. In 
 1831, a treaty was signed, by means of which the King 
 of Ashantee was compelled to acknowledge the inde- 
 pendence of the Fantees and other tribes under British 
 protection. 
 
 But there have been perpetual heart-burnings ever 
 since, and now these have resulted in the recent war, 
 the causes of which were manifold. Among them may 
 be enumerated the constant disregard by the Ashantees 
 
THE ASHANTEE WAR. 167 
 
 of the treaties formed with neighbouring states which 
 are under British protection ; the resentment on the 
 part of the Ashantees of British interference with 
 their slave-trade ; insult, robbery, and death inflicted 
 by the Ashantees on persons trading with or at the 
 British settlement at Cape Coast ; and the resort of the 
 Ashantees to arms against the English. 
 
 In the war just terminated, the Ashantean army, no 
 despicable foe, was utterly routed and dispersed, and 
 the power of the kingdom absolutely broken. The 
 capital and the palace were burnt ; and the king, 
 Koffee Kalkalli, after much cunning and duplicity, sub- 
 mitted and sued for peace. Part of an indemnity of 
 200,OOOZ. has already been paid. A promise is made 
 that human sacrifices shall be abolished, the slave-trade 
 discontinued, and honest commerce protected. The 
 difficulty with the king, trained as he is to treachery, 
 will be to keep him to his engagements. The conduct 
 of the British soldiery throughout the whole campaign 
 has been like themselves, and worthy of Sir Garnet 
 Wolseley and of the other distinguished officers acting 
 under his command. When Coomassie was entered, 
 it was indescribably loathsome with the blood and 
 putrid death of its normal condition. Let us hope 
 that in the end good will result to Ashantee itself, 
 opening it up to the commerce and civilisation and 
 Christian influences and efforts of England and the 
 world. Africa's best hope is a healthy protectorate of 
 the British Crown in various parts of the continent. 
 Happy will it be if, in the present instance, that 
 advantage be not denied it. 
 
16§ 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER rX. 
 
 LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 David Livingstone was bom at Blantyre, near Glas- 
 gow. His father was a small tea-dealer in that Tillage, 
 a village entirely dej)endent on extensive cotton manu- 
 factories belonging to the firm of Monteith and Company, 
 in which fabrics of various descriptions are worked up 
 from the raw material to the state of finished goods. 
 His grandfather had been a clerk in the works, and had 
 removed to the lowlands from Ulva, in the Hebrides, 
 where he and his remote ancestors had for many genera- 
 tions been farmers. The subject of the present notice, 
 and the other members of the family to which he be- 
 longed, were educated in connection with the Kirk of 
 Scotland ; but their father afterwards left it, and during 
 the last twenty years of his life held the office of deacon 
 in an Independent church in the neighbouring town of 
 Hamilton. He died in 1856, while his son was on his 
 way below Zumbo, expecting no greater pleasure, on 
 his return home, than sitting by the old cottage fire 
 and reciting his travels to his parents. His mother 
 was a pious woman, with much common sense, and 
 industrious and careful. 
 
 At the age of ten David was put into the factory, as 
 a " piecer," to aid by his earnings in the family support. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 169 
 
 With part of his first week's wages he purchased a copy 
 of Euddiman's *Kudiments of Latin,' a class-book at 
 that time, and long afterwards, extensively nsed in 
 Scotland. He prosecuted his study of the language for 
 several years, with unabated ardour, at an evening 
 school in the village, which met between the hours of 
 eight and ten. The dictionary part of his labour was 
 continued till twelve o'clock. He had to be in the 
 factory by six in the morning, and to continue at his 
 work, with intervals for breakfast and dinner, till eight 
 o'clock at night. In this way he read many classic 
 authors. 
 
 Great pains had been taken by his parents to instil 
 the doctrines of Christianity into his mind, and he had 
 no difficulty in understanding the theory of a free salva- 
 tion by the atonement of the Saviour ; but it was only 
 after he had been for some time at work that he really 
 began to feel the necessity and value of a personal 
 application of the provisions of that atonement to his 
 own case. The change was like what it may be supposed 
 would take place were it possible to cure a case of 
 " colour blindness." In the glow of love which Chris- 
 tianity inspires, he soon resolved to devote his life to 
 the alleviation of human misery. Turning this idea 
 over in his mind, he felt that to be a pioneer of Chris- 
 tianity in China might help to benefit some small 
 portion of that immense empire ; and therefore he set 
 himself to obtain a medical education, in order to be 
 qualified for that enterprise. Limited as his time was, 
 he found opportunities of botanising for miles around 
 his home, and soon became acquainted with most of the 
 plants of Lanarkshire. 
 
 N 
 
170 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 In his nineteenth year he was promoted, in the 
 factory, to " a pair of wheels," i.e. he became a spinner. 
 The work was hard for a slim loose-jointed lad, but it 
 was well paid for, and it enabled him to support him- 
 self while attending medical classes at the University, 
 and also divinity lectures at a theological hall, by 
 Dr. Wardlaw, both in Glasgow. He worked with his 
 hands in summer, and was a regular student in both of 
 these branches in winter. He never received a farthing 
 of aid from any one, and would have accomplished his 
 purpose of qualifying himself for going to China as a 
 medical missionary entirely by his own efforts, had not 
 some friends advised him to join the London Missionary 
 Society, as a student preparing for mission- work. That 
 Society sends to the heathen neither episcopacy, nor 
 presbyterianism, nor independency, but the Gospel and 
 as this exactly agreed with his own idea of what a Mis- 
 sionary Society ought to do, he offered himself, and was 
 accepted. He was now at liberty to devote himself 
 wholly to such studies as might prepare him for his 
 desired and intended future. While engaged in manual 
 labour he was accustomed to carry forward his reading 
 by placing a book on a portion of the spinning jenny, 
 so that he could catch sentence after sentence as he 
 passed at his work. He thus not only manifested much 
 earnestness and determination, but was enabled to keep 
 up a somewhat constant study undisturbed by the roar 
 of the machinery. He passed his examinations with 
 credit, and was admitted a Licentiate of the Faculty of 
 Physicians and Surgeons at Glasgow. 
 
 But though now qualified for his original plan, the 
 opium war was then raging, and it was not deemed ex- 
 
LIVINaSTONE. 
 
 171 
 
 pedient that he should proceed to China. He had 
 hoped to gain admission into that empire, then closed 
 against Europeans, by means of the healing art; but 
 there being no prospect of an early peace with the 
 Chinese, and, as another inviting field was presenting 
 itself by means of the labours of Mr. Moffat, he was 
 induced to turn his thoughts to Africa ; and, after a 
 more extended course of theological training in England, 
 he embarked for Africa in 1840, and, after a voyage of 
 three months, reached Cape Town. He spent but a 
 short time there, and started for the interior, going 
 round by Algoa Bay, and soon proceeded inland, and 
 for the following sixteen years of his life, viz. from 
 1840 to 1856, laboured in medical and missionary 
 efforts for the good of the people, without cost to any 
 of them. 
 
 The instructions which he had received from the 
 Directors of the London Missionary Society led him, as 
 soon as he had reached Kuruman, the farthest inland 
 station of the Society, to turn his attention to the north. 
 Waiting only to recruit the oxcd, he proceeded, along 
 with another missionary, to the Bakuena or Bakwain 
 country, and found Sechele, with his tribe, located at 
 Shokuane. The objects he had in view were not to be 
 accomplished by a mere visit like this ; he therefore 
 returned to Kuruman, that he might prepare for going- 
 onward s into the interior. He remained three months 
 at Kuruman, a kind of head station as it is, and then 
 proceeded to a place about fifteen miles south of 
 Shokuane, called Lepelole (now Litubariiba). Here, in 
 order to familiarise himself with the language, he wisely 
 shut himself out from all European society for about 
 
 N 2 
 
172 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 six months, and obtained by this means much know- 
 ledge of the habits, modes of thought, laws, and language 
 of that section of the Bechuanas or Bakwains — know- 
 ledge which has been of incalculable use to him ever 
 since. In this second journey to Lepelole he began 
 preparations for a settlement, by making a canal to 
 irrigate the gardens, from a stream at that time flowing 
 copiously. Eeturning to Kuruman, in order to bring 
 his baggage to the proposed settlement, he was followed 
 by the news that the tribe of Bakwains, who had shown 
 themselves so friendly to him, had been driven from 
 Lepelole, during his absence, by the Barolongs, so that 
 his project of settling there was at an end. He was 
 obliged to start again in search of a suitable locality 
 for a mission station, and ultimately selected the beau- 
 tiful valley of Mabotsa (lat. 25° 14' S., long. 26° 30' E.) 
 as the site of his future home and work ; and thither 
 he removed in 1843. 
 
 The people here were much troubled by lions, and, 
 soon after his settlement among them, he went out with 
 a party of the natives, in search of these dangerous 
 animals, that he might encourage them to rid them- 
 selves, if possible, of their unwelcome visits to the 
 village, and to the cattle kraals. His humane and 
 benevolent willingness to befriend and help those among 
 whom he was living almost cost him his life. Having 
 fired at an immense brute, he hit it, but it sprang upon 
 him, and brought him to the ground, and '* shook him 
 as a terrier does a rat." He was saved, partly by the 
 effect of his own shot on the animal, and partly by the 
 firing of one of his companions, which induced his 
 antagonist to leave him that it might seize another 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 173 
 
 victim. The lion was already mortally wounded, and 
 soon fell dead ; but Livingstone, on occasions, feels to 
 this day the effects of the gnawing to which he was at 
 that time subjected. 
 
 He attached himself to the tribe called Bakuena or 
 Bakwains, their chief Sechele then living with his 
 people, as has been said, at a place called Shokuane. 
 From the first he was struck with this man's intelligence, 
 and the missionary and the cliief were mutually drawn 
 to each othel', and began a friendship which years only 
 more strongly confirmed. This remarkable man after- 
 wards embraced Christianity, and became a useful ex- 
 pounder of its doctrines to his people. 
 
 The place in which he has first settled with the 
 Bakwains is called Chonuane, and it happened that 
 during the first year of his residence tliere it was visited 
 with one of those droughts which occur from time to 
 time in even the most favoured districts of Africa. 
 This, by the absence of both men and women in search 
 of food as well as water, greatly interfered with the 
 success of the mission. Another adverse influence was 
 the vicinity of the Boers of the Cashan Mountains. 
 These are not to be confounded with the Cape Colonists, 
 who sometimes pass by the same name. The word 
 Boer simply means farmer ; but the people now referred 
 to were persons who had, on various pretexts, fled from 
 English law, and who had been joined by English 
 deserters, and every other variety of bad character, in 
 their distant localities. These people attacked the 
 surrounding tribes, and made slaves of as many as they 
 could capture, preferring the young. 
 
 The chief Sechele, notwithstanding his intelligence 
 
174 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 and superiority in many respects, had himself been a 
 noted rain-maker. He often assured the .missionary, 
 afterwards, that he had found it more difficult to give 
 up his faith in that than in anything else which 
 Christianity required him to abjure. But rain would 
 not fall at Chonuane, and the people believed that the 
 missionary had bound Sechele by some magic spell^ 
 and he was accordingly visited by deputations in the 
 evenings, — old counsellors entreating him to allow 
 Sechele to make only a few showers, and saying, " The 
 corn will die if you refuse, and we shall become 
 scattered. Only let him make rain this once, and we 
 shall all, men, women, and children, come to the 
 school and sing and pray as long as you please." It 
 was distressing to appear hard-hearted to them; but 
 there was no helj) for it. The Bak wains believed that 
 there must be some connection between the presence 
 of "Grod's Word" in their town and these successive 
 and distressing droughts, and they looked with no 
 good-will at the church-bell, but still they invariably 
 treated the strangers with kindness. Livingstone says, 
 " I am not aware of ever having had an enemy in the 
 tribe. The only avowed cause of dislike was expressed 
 by a very influential and sensible man, the uncle of 
 Sechele. * We like you as well as if you' had been 
 born among us; you are the only white man we can 
 become familiar with (thoaela) ; but we wish you to 
 give up that everlasting preaching and praying ; we 
 cannot become familiar with that at all. You see we 
 never get rain, while those tribes Tvho never pray as 
 we do obtain abundance.' This was a fact; and 
 we often saw it raining on the hills ten miles off. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 175 
 
 while it would not look at us 'even with one eye.' 
 If the prince of the power of the air had no hand in 
 scorching us up, I fear I often gave him the credit of 
 doing so," 
 
 Livingstone pointed out to the chief that the only 
 feasible way of watering the gardens was to select 
 some never-failing river, make a canal, and irrigate the 
 adjacent lands. This suggestion was adopted, and the 
 whole tribe moved to the Kolobeng, a stream about 
 forty miles distant. The experiment succeeded 
 admirably for the first year. The Bakwains made the 
 canal and dam in exchange for the missionary's labour 
 in assisting to build a square house for their chief. 
 They also built their own school imder his super- 
 intendence. The missionary's house at Kolobeng was 
 the third which he had reared with his own hands. 
 A native smith had taught him to weld iron; and 
 having improved by scraps of information in that line 
 from Mr. Moffat, and also in carpentering and gardening, 
 he was becoming handy at almost any trade, besides 
 doctoring and preaching ; and as his wife could make 
 candles, soap, and clothes, they may be considered to 
 have possessed between them the indispensable accom- 
 plishments of a missionary family in Central Africa — 
 namely, the husband to be a Jack-of-all-trades without 
 doors, and the wife a maid-of-all-work within. 
 
 But in the second year no rain fell; and in the 
 third the same extraordinary drought continued. The 
 same difficulties which had formerly retarded the 
 mission were again experienced; and the mission 
 family itself was dependent for supplies of corn on 
 Kuruman, and sometimes were at the point of starva- 
 
176 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 tion. In trying to benefit the tribes of the Caslian 
 Mountains, Livingstone bad twice performed a journey 
 of about three hundred miles to the eastward of 
 Kolobeng. He now desired to visit the tribes farther 
 into the interior. 
 
 The exact position of the Lake Xgami had, for at 
 least half a century, been correctly pointed out by the 
 natives, who had visited it when rains were more 
 copious in the desert than they have been in recent 
 times. It was clear that the only chance of reaching 
 it therefore was by going round the Desert rather than 
 crossing it. He communicated his purpose to Colonel 
 Steele, then at Madras, who in turn made it known 
 to Mr. Vardon and Mr. Oswell, whose friendship he 
 (Livingstone) had gained during their African travels 
 and hunting. Mr. Oswell determined to accompany 
 him. Livingstone had previously arranged to j^ay for 
 his guides by the loan of his waggon to Sechele, and 
 by the briuging back of whatever ivory he might 
 obtain from the chief at the lake. When Mr. Oswell 
 arrived,, bringing Mr. Murray with him, he undertook 
 to defray the entire expenses of the guides, which he 
 generously did. The Kalahari Desert extends from the 
 Orange Kiver in the south, lat. 29°, to Lake Ngami, 
 and from about 24° east long, to near the west 
 coast. Large spaces of it are well covered with 
 vegetation. It is very flat; and prodigious herds of 
 certain antelopes which require little or no water roam 
 over the trackless plains. The inhabitants are Bush- 
 men and Bakalahari. 
 
 Livingstone, accompanied by Messrs. Oswell and 
 Mm-ray, started for the Lake Ngami on the 1st of 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 177 
 
 June, 1849. Proceeding northwards, they passed 
 through a range of tree-covered hills to Shokuane, 
 formerly the residence of the Bakwains, and soon after- 
 wards entered on the route to the Bamangwato. The 
 adjacent country is flat, but covered with vegetation ; 
 the trees generally being a kind of acacia. The soil 
 is sandy. Boat Ian ama, the next station, is a beautiful 
 spot, in a region generally dry. The wells are deep, 
 but they were well filled. There are near them a few 
 villages of Bakalahari. 
 
 Lopepe comes next. At Mashiie there is a never- 
 failing supply of water; while at Lopepe, the station 
 before it, the country appears to become gradually 
 drier every season. Leaving the ordinary track, and 
 striking away into the Desert, there is a well called 
 Lobotani, about N.W. of Bamangwato, and beyond it 
 at some distance a real Kalahari fountain, called 
 Serotli. The country around is covered with trees. 
 The soil is sandy, and water requires to be dug for — 
 and the digging usually succeeds. The Bakalahari 
 get their supplies of water by this means. 
 
 The travellers had seventeen of their oxen run away, 
 and they went right into the hands of the chief Sekomi, 
 who was unfriendly to their enterprise, inasmuch as he 
 wished to monopolize, to his o^n advantage, the trade 
 in ivory with Sebituane's country, which they meant to 
 see. He sent back the oxen, however, though with a 
 message still dissuading them. Their guide was 
 Kamotobi, who had fled from Sekomi's tribe, and taken 
 refuge with Sechele. Fugitives are usually well 
 received. Around Serotli the country is perfectly 
 flat, and the whole scene is characterised by a mono- 
 
178 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 tonous sameness. Oswell and Murray, on one occasion, 
 went out to get an eland; and although one of the 
 Bakalahari was with them, there were so few distin- 
 guishing way-marks that they completely lost them- 
 selves. They regained the waggons only next day. 
 
 Travelling in this locality, in the soft white sand, 
 is most trying both to man and beast. Thirst is most 
 distressing to the cattle ; therefore, to save the horses, 
 Murray with a few men took them forward, that they 
 might sooner have water, while Livingstone and Oswell 
 brought on the waggons. For sixty or seventy miles 
 beyond Serotli, one clump of bushes and trees exactly 
 resembles another. By and by water is reached — a 
 pool, rain water. The poor cattle rush in till they are 
 up to the throat, and drink with enjoyment till their 
 collapsed sides distend as if they would burst. This 
 pool is called Mathuluani. 
 
 The highway from this point is the dry bed of the 
 Kiver Mokoko. No more thirst is now to be feared. 
 The first palmyra-trees which our travellers had seen 
 were here. They were in a clump, an I twenty-six in 
 number. The ancient Mokoko must have been joined, 
 in former times, by other rivers, for it becomes very 
 broad below this, and ultimately spreads out into a 
 very large lake, of which the Lake Ngami formed only 
 a part. 
 
 Leaving the Mokoko, the travellers gratefully find 
 at a distance of eight miles a fountain called Nchokotsa, 
 — ^near which there is a large number of salt-pans, 
 covered with an efflorescence of lime. The mirage 
 over these is frequently marvellous. Not a particle of 
 imagination is necessary for realising the picture of 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 179 
 
 large bodies of water. Even the cattle, horses, dogs, 
 and Hottentots, ran off to the deceitful pools. 
 
 Our travellers, on the 4th of July, went forward on 
 horseback towards what they supposed to be the lake, 
 but were disappointed ; but by and by they came to 
 the veritable waters of the Zouga, and found it to be a 
 river running to the N.E. A village of Bakurutse lay 
 on the opposite bank. The people were friendly, and 
 informed them that this water came out of the Ngami. 
 It might be a moon, they said, before they should 
 reach it ; but they had the Kiver Zouga at their feet, 
 and by following it they should at last reach the broad 
 water. 
 
 When they had gone up the bank of this beautiful 
 river about ninety-six miles, from the point at w^hich 
 they had first struck it, and understood that they were 
 still a considerable distance from the lake, they left all 
 their oxen and waggons — except Mr. Oswell's, which 
 was the smallest, and one team — at Ngabisane, that 
 they might be recruited for the home journey, while 
 they themselves made a push for their destination. 
 They were received in a friendly spirit by the Bakoba, 
 who call themselves Bayeiye, as they proceeded on 
 their way. These people never fight, and their peace- 
 ful disposition has been taken advantage of by all the 
 hordes living around them. Living as they do on the 
 banks of the river, the Bakoba or Bayeiye make ex- 
 tensive use of canoes, and those canoes are craft of a 
 most peculiar description : they are hollowed out of the 
 trunks of single trees by means of iron adzes ; and if 
 the tree has a bend, so has the canoe. The men are 
 fond of their canoes. They say, " On land you have 
 
180 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 lions, serpents, hyaenas, and your enemies; but in 
 your canoe, nothing can harm you." They therefore 
 prefer sleeping in them. 
 
 While ascending this beautifully wooded river they 
 came to a large stream flowing into it. This was the 
 Kiver Tamunak'le. Livingstone, being in one of the 
 canoes, preferring that mode of travelling, inquired 
 whence it came. " Oh, from a country full of rivers — 
 so many no can tell their number — and full of large 
 trees ! " The country beyond was thus seen not to be 
 the great sandy flat of the ancients, and, from that time, 
 the missionary-explorer dreamed of the prospect of 
 being able, himself partly it might be, to open up a 
 highway into poj)ulous lands, which might be reached 
 by boats, and to whose inhabitants might be com- 
 municated the benefits accruing from civilisation, the 
 arts, commerce, and the true religion. 
 
 Twelve days after they had left their waggons at 
 Ngabisane they came to the north-east end of Lake 
 Ngami : and on the 1st of August, 1849, they went 
 down together to the broad part, *^and, for the first 
 time," says Livingstone, " this fine-looking sheet of 
 water was beheld by Europeans. The direction of the 
 lake seemed to be N.N.E. and S.S.W. by compass. 
 The southern portion is said to bend round to the wQst, 
 and to receive the Teoughe from the north at its north- 
 west extremity. We could detect no horizon where 
 we stood, looking S.S.W., nor could we form any idea 
 of the extent of the lake except from the reports of the 
 inhabitants of the district ; and, as they professed to go 
 round it in three days, allowing twenty-five miles a day, 
 that would make it seventy-five, or less than seventy 
 
LIYINOSTONE. 
 
 181 
 
 geographical miles in circumference. Other guesses 
 have been made since as to its circumference, ranging 
 between seventy and one hundred miles." It is shallow. 
 The water is fresh when full — brackish when low. It 
 can never, on account of its want of depth, be of great 
 value as a commercial highway. The region is low, as 
 shown by one of Newman's barometric thermometers, 
 only between 207^° and 206°, giving an elevation of not 
 much more than two thousand feet above the level of 
 the sea. They had descended more than two thousand 
 feet in coming to it from Kolobeng. 
 
 In coming to the lake Livingstone had also the pur- 
 pose of visiting Sebituane, the great chief of the 
 Makololo, who was reported to live some two hundred 
 miles beyond. In proceeding onwards,- the travellers 
 came to a half-tribe of the Bamangwato, called Batuana. 
 Their chief was a young man named Lechulatebe. On 
 the day after their arrival at the lake, they applied to 
 this chief for guides to Sebituane ; but as Sebituane was 
 powerful and had conquered his father, he was afraid 
 of him, and he refused. Lest white men should furnish 
 Sebituane with guns, he wanted to prevent white men 
 from reaching him. He offered to sell them as much 
 ivory as they wanted without going further. ^Yhen 
 they refused, he unwillingly consented to give them 
 guides ; but next day he refused, and they were com- 
 pelled to return. 
 
 Coming down the Zouga, they had time to look at its 
 banks, which are beautiful. The trees are magnificent. 
 Near its confluence with the lake there were some of 
 enormous size. They were unable to ascertain the 
 longitude of the lake, their watches being useless. It 
 
182 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 may be between 22° and 23° E. The largest of two 
 immense trees observed here was 76 feet in girth. 
 There are two kinds of cotton in the country— the 
 Mashona convert it into cloth, and dye it by means of 
 wild indigo, which abounds. 
 
 Elephants were found in prodigious numbers, and 
 many hippopotami. Fish of ten kinds are to be found 
 in the river ; and the Bayeiye live much on fish. 
 
 Having returned to Kolobeng, his station as a mis- 
 sionary, Livingstone remained there till April 1850, 
 when he again left for the purpose of visiting Sebituane. 
 He was this time accompanied by his wife and three 
 children, and by the chief Sechele, who now possessed 
 a waggon of his own. They meant to cross the Zouga 
 at its lower end, to proceed up the northern bank as far 
 as the Tamunak'le, and then to ascend that river to 
 visit Sebituane in the north. Sechele wanted to visit 
 Lechulatebe, which he did, and the rest of the party 
 proceeded along the northern woody bank of the Zouga, 
 with great labour, having to cut down many trees to 
 allow the waggons to pass. Their losses by the falling 
 of their oxen into pits were very heavy. The Bayeiye 
 assisted them in the most friendly manner. On ap- 
 proaching the confluence of the Tamunak'le they were 
 informed that the fly called " tsetse " abounded on its 
 banks. The bite of the tsetse is fatal to horses and 
 oxen, and they were obliged reluctantly to recross the 
 Zouga. 
 
 They then learned that a party of Englishmen who 
 had come to the lake for ivory were all laid low by 
 fever; and they went sixty miles, with all speed, to 
 render assistance. They were grieved to find that Mr. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 183 
 
 Alfred Ryder, an enterprising young artist who had 
 come to make sketches of the country, and of the lake 
 immediately after its discovery, had died before their 
 arrival. The others happily recovered. Sechele used 
 all his powers of persuasion with Lechulatebe to induce 
 him to furnish guides to enable Livingstone to visit 
 Sebituane on ox-back, while Mrs. Livingstone and the 
 children might remain at Lake Ngami. Livingstone 
 had a superior London-made gun, on which he placed 
 great value. The chief took a strong liking to it; 
 and it was at last agreed that he should have it, and 
 that the wife and children of the traveller should 
 remain with the chief, while he himself proceeded on 
 liis journey. But next morning two of the children 
 were seized with fever, and, on the day following, all 
 their servants were ill of the same complaint ; and 
 they were compelled to forego their original purpose, 
 and to start for the purer air of the Desert. Some 
 mistake had occurred in the arrangement with Oswell, 
 whom they met on the Zouga on their return. He 
 was disappointed, having hoped to overtake them and 
 proceed with his former fellow-traveller; and he de- 
 voted the remaining portion of the season to elephant 
 hunting. 
 
 This second attempt to reach the country of Sebituane 
 having failed, the missionary returned to his work at 
 Kolobeng. Sebituane very soon after sent a number of 
 messengers after him, direct from himself. When he 
 had heard of the attempts which had been made to 
 visit him, he despatched three detachments of his men 
 with presents to the chiefs whose good-will was impor- 
 tant : thirteen brown cows to Lechulatebe, thirteen 
 
184 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 white cows to Sekomi, and thirteen black cows to 
 Sechele, requesting each to assist the white man to 
 reach him. But it was the policy of these chiefs to 
 keep the explorer out of view, lest they should lose the 
 advantages which came to them by means of Sebituane's 
 ivory, which had hitherto come through their territory, 
 and indeed through their hands. 
 
 It was necessary to visit Kuruman before making 
 a third journey to Sebituane. Livingstone and Oswell, 
 the former taking with him his wife and his children, 
 with a guide furnished by Sekomi, started on this 
 journey, but no one knew the way beyond Nchokotsa. 
 They passed over a hard country, quite flat, and 
 covered with a little soil on a bed of calcareous tufa, 
 for several hundreds of miles. They found several 
 large salt-pans, one of which, Ntwetwe, was fifteen 
 miles broad and a hundred long. These pans have a 
 gentle slope to the north-east, which is in the direction 
 of the Zouga, into which the rain-water which covers 
 them gently gravitates. By this means the salt, which 
 ihey hold in solution, has all been transferred to one 
 pan, named Chuantsa, on wliich may be seen, at certain 
 seasons, salt and lime an inch and a half thick. All 
 the others have an efflorescence of lime, and one of the 
 nitrates only, some of them abounding in shells — 
 spiral, univalve, and bivalve. In every salt-pan in the 
 country there is a spring of fresh water on one side. 
 There are many wells in the tufa, all over this district. 
 There are many families of Bushmen. These are 
 unlike those on the plains of the Kalahari, who are 
 usually small men, but these are tall and strong, and 
 very black. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 185 
 
 One of these Bushmen, named Shobo, agreed to 
 guide them to the country of Sebituane. He gave 
 them to understand that, after leaving the plain, they 
 should have no water for a month. But they found 
 rain-water, in pools, sooner than they expected. The 
 scene is very dreary, the vegetation very scanty, and 
 there is not even a bird or an insect to give variety to 
 the landscape. Shobo wandered on the second day. 
 They persuaded him to go on with them ; but, on the 
 fourth day, after professing ignorance of everything, 
 he vanished altogether. They advanced themselves, 
 and their oxen being greatly fatigued and very thirsty, 
 their perseverance was rewarded by the sight of birds 
 and the trail of a rhinoceros. From these signs, they 
 knew that water must be near ; and, unyoking their 
 oxen, these animals, guided by unerring instinct, 
 rushed onward to the River Matabe, which comes from 
 the Tamunak'le. The cattle, when left to themselves, 
 must have gone through a patch of trees infested with 
 tsetse, for they all afterwards died. Shobo had found 
 his way to the Bayeiye, and, notwithstanding his 
 desertion of his friends, received them, at the head of 
 a party, with the utmost self-possession and personal 
 importance. They all liked Shobo, however. Next 
 day they came to a village of Banajoa, a tribe which 
 extends far to the eastward. They here obtained 
 further help, Moroa Majare, the younger brother of 
 the chief, becoming their guide across the Eiver Souta, 
 and to the banks of the Chobe, in the country of 
 Sebituane. 
 
 Sebituane was about twenty miles down the river, 
 and Livingstone and Oswell went in canoes to his 
 
 o 
 
186 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 temporary residence. He had come from the Barotse 
 town of Naliele down to Sesheke as soon as he heard 
 that the white men were in search of him, and he now 
 came a hundred miles more to bid them welcome to 
 his country. He was upon an island, with all his 
 principal men around him. They informed him of the 
 difficulties which they had had to encounter, and told 
 him how glad they were that these were all now at an 
 end, since they had at last reached his presence. He 
 expressed his own joy, and added, " Your cattle are all 
 bitten by the tsetse, and will certainly die ; but never 
 mind, I have oxen, and will give you as many as you 
 need." He then presented them with an ox and a jar 
 of honey as food, and committed them again to the 
 care of Mahale, who had headed the party from 
 Kolobeng. Prepared skins of oxen, as soft as cloth, 
 were given them to cover them in the night. Sebituane 
 came to them, long before daylight, and sat down by 
 the fire which had been lighted for their benefit behind 
 the hedge by which they lay, narrating the difficulties 
 which he himself had experienced, when a young man, 
 in crossing the Desert which these travellers had just 
 traversed. 
 
 " Sebituane was now about forty-five years of age ; 
 of a tall and wiry form, an olive or coffee-and-milk 
 colour, and slightly bald ; in manner cool and collected, 
 and more frank," says Livingstone, " in his answers than 
 any other chief I ever met." He was the greatest 
 warrior ever heard of beyond the Colony, for, unlike 
 Mosilikatse, Dingaan, and others, he always led his 
 men into battle himself. He came from the country 
 near the sources of the Likwa and Namagari rivers in 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 187 
 
 the south, so that he was here established eight or 
 nine hundred miles from his birth-place. He was not 
 the son of a chief, though closely related to the 
 reigning family of the Basiitu ; and when in an attack 
 by Sikonyele the tribe was driven out of one part, 
 Sebituane was one of an immense horde which had again 
 to flee before the Griquas from Kuruman in 1824. 
 He then came to the north with a small party of men 
 and cattle. At Melita the Bangwaketse collected the 
 Bakwains, Bakatla, and Bahurutse, and attacked the 
 new-comers. He conquered Makabe, the chief of the 
 Bangwaketse, and took possession of his town and all 
 his goods. He afterwards settled at a place called 
 Litubaruba, where Sechele afterwards lived. A great 
 variety of fortune subsequently followed him. He 
 was entangled in many wars, but invariably conquered 
 his enemies. He came at last to be firmly established 
 in his present country, possessed of great power, with 
 many people and much wealth in flocks and herds. 
 He obtained for himself a place in the affections of all 
 classes, and ruled by love as well as fear. Sechele, 
 Sekomi, and Lechulatebe owed their lives entirely to 
 his clemency. His people are Makololo. 
 
 It was Livingstone's strong desire to locate himself 
 in the midst of this immense multitude of people, that 
 he might preach the Gospel where Christ had never 
 been named, thus carrying the true religion far beyond 
 any point to which the knowledge of it had yet 
 penetrated. Sebituane, who had long desired the 
 friendship of white men, understood his purpose and 
 favoured it. He was much pleased with the confidence 
 in him shown by the bringing of the children, and 
 
 o 2 
 
188 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 promised to take the missionary to see his country, 
 that he might choose a locality in which he could 
 remain, and at once begin his work. But it was not 
 at this time so to be. Sebituane, just after realising 
 the intercourse with white men which he had desired 
 so long, was seized with inflammation of the lungs, and 
 in a few days died. 
 
 Livingstone says, On the Sunday afternoon in 
 which he died, when our usual religious service was 
 over, I visited him vath my little boy Eobert. ' Come 
 near,' said he, ' and see if I am any longer a man ; 
 I am done.' He was thus sensible of the dangerous 
 nature of his disease, so I ventured to assent, and 
 added a single sentence regarding hope after death. 
 * Why do you speak of death ?' said one of a fresh 
 relay of doctors ; * Sebituane will never die.' If I had 
 persisted, the impression would have been produced 
 that by speaking about it I wished him to die. After 
 sitting with him some time, and commending him to 
 the mercy of God, I rose to depart, when the dying 
 chieftain, raising himself up a little from the prone 
 position, called to a servant, and said, ' Take Eobert to 
 Manuku (one of his wives), and tell her to give him 
 some milk.' These were the last words of Sebituane." 
 He shortly afterwards breathed his last. 
 
 They were not informed of his death till next day. 
 His obsequies were such as belong to his tribe. The 
 burial of a Bechuana chief takes place in his cattle- 
 pen, and all the cattle are driven for an hour over and 
 around his grave, so that it may be quite obliterated. 
 
 Livingstone says again, " He was decidedly the best 
 specimen of a native chief I ever met. I never felt so 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 189 
 
 much grieved by the loss of a black man before; and it 
 was impossible not to follow him in thought into the 
 world of which he had just heard before he was called 
 away, and to realise somewhat of the feelings of those 
 who pray for the dead. The deep dark question of 
 what is to become of such as he must, however, be left 
 where we find it, believing that, assuredly, the ' Judge 
 of all the earth will do right.' " 
 
 At Sebituane's death the chieftainship devolved, 
 as her father intended, on a daughter named 
 Mamochisane. He had promised to show them his 
 country and to allow them to select a suitable locality 
 for residence and mission work. They had now to 
 look to the daughter. She was living twelve days to 
 the north ; and they were obliged to wait till a 
 message came from her. She gave them perfect 
 liberty to visit any part of the country they chose. 
 Both Livingstone and Oswell therefore proceeded one 
 hundred and thirty miles to the north-east, to 
 Sesheke ; and in the end of June 1851 were rewarded 
 by the discovery of the Zambesi, in the centre of the 
 continent. This was a most important point, for that 
 river was not previously known to exist there. The 
 Portuguese maps had, by conjecture, placed it far to 
 the east ; and if ever anything like a chain of trading 
 stations had existed across the country between the 
 latitudes 12° and 18° south, this magnificent portion of 
 the river ought to have been known before. They 
 saw it at the end of the dry season, when the river is 
 at its lowest, and yet there was a breadth of from three 
 to six hundred yards of deep flowing water. Oswell 
 bad never seen so fine a river even in India. At the 
 
190 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 period of its annual inundation it rises more tlmn 
 twenty feet in perpendicular height, and floods fifteen 
 or twenty miles of lands adjacent to its banks. 
 
 The country over which they had travelled from the 
 Chobe was flat, with the exception of ant-hills, and in 
 some parts there are forests of mimosse and palmyras 
 and mopane. There are swamps in large patches near 
 the Chobe, or on its banks. Among the swamps the 
 Makololo live, that they may thus obtain protection 
 against their enemies. The open and healthy parts 
 being utterly without defence, and these marshes most 
 deleterious to human life, it was deemed inexpedient, 
 at this time, to select any place for a missionary 
 settlement. The original Basutos had all been cut 
 off by fever. The idea was, therefore, reluctantly 
 abandoned. 
 
 These being the first white men whom the people 
 had seen, they were visited by prodigious numbers. 
 Among the first of these was a gentleman dressed in a 
 gaudy dressing-gown of printed calico. Many others 
 had garments of blue, green and red baize, and also of 
 printed cottons. These were found, on inquiry, to have 
 been obtained in exchange for boys, from a tribe called- 
 Mambari, residing near Bihe, and trading as middle- 
 men, in the slave market, between the natives and the 
 Portugues e. These Mambari began the slave-trade with 
 Sebituane in 1850 only, and, if it had not been for the 
 obstruction put in the way of Livingstone and Oswell 
 when they formerly attempted to reach that chief, the 
 probability is that they would have been with him in 
 time to prevent its being begun at all. The Mambari 
 had long visited the chief of the Barotse, and when 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 191 
 
 Sebituane conquered that tribe he refused to allow any 
 one to sell a child. But when they renewed their visits 
 in 1850, they brought with them a number of guns. 
 These were too strong a temptation for Sebituane. He 
 offered to purchase them with cattle or ivory, but the 
 Mambari refused everything except boys about fourteen 
 years of age. Till that time no such thing as the 
 buying and selling of human beings had been known 
 among the Makololo. Eight old guns were exchanged 
 for eight boys. These were not their own children, but 
 captives. The Africans never sell their own children. 
 The Makololo were incited to make a foray against some 
 tribes to the eastward. Many captives were taken, — 
 and the Mambari carried with them as many as two 
 hundred slaves that year. 
 
 It was believed by these travellers that if the market 
 were supplied with articles of European manufacture in 
 the way of legitimate commerce, the trade in slaves 
 would become impossible. The people would prefer 
 obtaining their goods in exchange for ivory and other 
 products of the country. But this could be accomplished 
 only by means of a safe and protected road or passage 
 from the coast to the centre of the country. 
 
 Since the Boers would not allow the peaceable 
 instruction of the natives at Kolobeng, and since it 
 would have been extremely hazardous to expose Euro- 
 pean lives in a region so unhealthy as the protected 
 portions of Sebituane's country, Livingstone resolved to 
 send his family to England, and to return alone that 
 he might explore the country in search of a healthy 
 district, which should prove a centre of civilisation, and 
 from which might be diffused among these masses of 
 
192 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 people the blessings of the Gospel. The Directors of 
 the London Missionary Society cordially approved of 
 his project, and left the matter entirely to his own 
 discretion. He accordingly went to the Cape, with 
 his wife and children, in April 1852, having been absent 
 eleven years from the scenes of civilisation, and, having 
 placed them on board a homeward-bound ship, he 
 returned, in the hope that in two years they w^ould 
 meet again, but it proved to be nearly five. 
 
( 193 ) 
 
 CHAPTEK X. 
 LIVINGSTONE. — Continued. 
 
 Having sent home his family to England, the traveller 
 started from Cape Town, on his next journey, in the 
 beginning of June 1852. This journey extended from 
 the southern extremity of the continent to St. Paul de 
 Loando, the capital of Angola, on the west coast, and 
 thence across Central Africa in an oblique direction to 
 Kilimane (Quilimane), in Eastern Africa. He used the 
 usual conveyance of the country, the heavy Cape 
 waggon, drawn by ten oxen, and was accompanied by two 
 Christian Becliuanas from Kuruman — of whose fidelity 
 he speaks in strong terms — by two Bakwain men, and 
 two young girls, w^ho, having come as nurses with his 
 children to the Cape, were returning to their home at 
 Kolobeng. They proceeded very slowly, and the parts 
 of the colony through which they passed were exti'emely 
 bare and sterile. The cattle suffered fatally from the 
 tsetse, which put the traveller to inconvenience, as such 
 an occurrence invariably does. Arriving at Kuruman, 
 he was detained there a fortnight by the breaking of a 
 wheel, and found that Sechele and his tribe had been 
 attacked by the Boers of the mountain and had suffered 
 considerable loss. He arrived at the town of Sechele 
 on the 31st of December, and, having spent five days 
 
194 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 with his friends there, distressed by the painful spectacle 
 of the miseries resulting from war, he began his pre- 
 parations for the prosecution of his journey, and left on 
 the loth of January, 1853. On the 21st he reached 
 the wells of Boatlanama, and found them empty; 
 Lopepe, which he had formerly seen a running stream, 
 was also dry, and he pushed on to Mashiie. Occasion- 
 ally they lighted upon land tortoises, which formed an 
 agreeable meal. 
 
 When they reached the Bamangwato, the chief 
 Sekomi was particularly friendly, and collected all 
 the people to the religious service^ which were held. 
 Passing on to Letloche, about twenty miles beyond 
 the Bamangwato, they found an abundant supply of 
 water, which, in such a country, is always of the greatest 
 importance. Their next stopping-place was at a spot 
 named Kanne, where there are several wells. They 
 had now sixty miles of country before them without 
 water; and although they took with them as large a 
 supply as they could, it was distressing to see the oxen 
 long before that distance had been traversed. The 
 Bakalahari, who live at Motlatsa wells, were friendly, 
 as they had always formerly been, and listened atten- 
 tively to the instructions which were conveyed to them 
 in their own tongue. 
 
 They left Motlatsa on the 8th of February, and 
 passed down the Mokoko, which living persons had 
 known as a flowing stream. It is now a dry bed. The 
 Bamangwato here keep large flocks of sheep and goats, 
 which thrive well wherever salt and bushes are to be 
 found. At Nchokotsa they still suffered from scarcity of 
 water, and the men took advantage of that circumstance 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 to wait at night by such pools as they could find, that 
 they might shoot the animals which were driven to them 
 and off their guard by the excess of their thirst. Of 
 this Livingstone disapproved, large numbers of the 
 game being in such circumstances merely wounded and 
 left slowly to die. 
 
 Numbers of boabab and mopane trees abound all 
 over the hard arid surface of the country in this part. 
 They passed one specimen of the boabab, called in the 
 language of the district, mowana, which consisted of 
 six branches united in one trunk. At three feet from 
 the ground it was eighty-five feet in circumference. 
 These mowana trees are the most wonderful specimens 
 of vitality in the country. Adanson and others believed 
 that some specimens which they saw in Western Africa 
 had been alive before the Flood, and hence argued that 
 there had never been any flood. But, says Livingstone, 
 "I would back a true mowana against a dozen floods, 
 provided you do not boil it in hot sea-water ; but I 
 cannot believe that any of those now alive had a chance 
 of being subjected to the experiment of even the 
 Noacliian deluge." The natives strip off the bark as 
 far up as they can reach, which they pound, and of the 
 fibre of which they make a strong cord. In the case of 
 any other tree this would cause its death, but such 
 treatment has no effect on the mowana except to make 
 it throw out a new bark, which is done in the way of 
 granulation. This stripping of the bark is repeated 
 frequently, so that it is common to see the lower five 
 or six feet an inch or two less in diameter than the 
 parts above. No external injury, not even a fire, can 
 destroy this tree from without ; nor can any harm be 
 
196 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 done it from within, as it is quite common to find it 
 hollow ; and sometimes one is to be seen in which 
 twenty or thirty men could lie down and sleep as in a 
 hut. Cutting does not exterminate it, for the roots, 
 extending along the surface forty or fifty yards from 
 the trunk, also retain their vitality after the tree is laid 
 low. The wood is so soft and spongy that an axe can 
 be struck in so far wdth a good blow, that there is great 
 difficulty in pulling it out again. 
 
 At Rapesh Livingstone came upon old friends — the 
 Bushmen under Horoye. This man Horoye is a 
 good specimen of that tribe, and his son IMokantsa and 
 others w^ere at least six feet high, and of a darker colour 
 than the Bushmen of the south. They have always 
 plenty of food and water ; and as they frequent the 
 Zouga as often as the game in w^hose company they 
 live, their condition is very different from that of the 
 inhabitants of the thirsty plains of the Kalahari. The 
 travellers spent a Sunday with Kaisa, the headman of a 
 village of Mashona, who had fled from the iron sway 
 of Mosilikatse, whose country lies east of this. 
 Livingstone wished him to take charge of a packet of 
 letters for England, to be forwarded by the Bechuanas 
 when they came in search of skins ; but he was afraid 
 of the danger if anything should happen to them, and 
 there was therefore now no hope of any communication 
 with the family of the explorer till he should reach 
 the west coast. At Unku they came into a tract of 
 country which had been visited by refreshing showers 
 long before, and everything was luxuriant and beau- 
 tiful. Proceeding to the north, from Kama-kama, 
 they entered into dense Mohonono bush, which re- 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 197 
 
 quired the constant application of the axe by three of 
 the party for two days. On emerging from the plains 
 beyond they found a number of Bushmeu, who after- 
 wards proved very serviceable to them. On the 10th 
 of March they were brought to a standstill, by the 
 prostration of four of the party with fever ; and instead 
 of the speedy recovery of the first sufferers, every man 
 of their number was, in a few days, laid low except a 
 Bakwain lad and the traveller himself. The lad 
 managed the oxen, while Livingstone attended to the 
 patients. 
 
 The grass was here so tall, that the oxen became 
 uneasy, fearing that wild beasts might be concealed in 
 it, and one night the sight of a hyaena made them rush 
 away into the forest. The Bakwain lad having run after 
 them, lost his way in the trackless forest ; but he 
 remained on the trail of the cattle all the next day, and 
 all the next night. On the Simday morning, when 
 search was about to be made for him, he appeared neai 
 the waggon. He had found the oxen late in the after- 
 noon of Saturday, and had been obliged to stand by 
 them all night. It was wonderful that, without a 
 compass and in such a country, he had managed to 
 find his way back at all, bringing about forty oxen 
 with him. 
 
 The detention on account of sickness, and the weak- 
 ness which followed it, made their progress very slow, 
 and to these impediments was added that of the 
 density of the forest. But they obtained the aid of a 
 number of Bushmen, and urged on their way. None 
 of his men had died ; but two were not likely to re- 
 cover. After a time the Bushmen wished to return. 
 
198 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 and he paid tliem. There was no use expostulating with 
 these gentlemen. But the payment acted as a charm 
 on some strangers who happened to be present, and 
 induced them to volunteer their aid. They could thus 
 advance. They frequently heard the roar of lions, and 
 occasionally saw them. As they went northwards, the 
 country became very lovely ; there were many trees, 
 some of them new kinds; the grass was green, and 
 often higher than the waggon ; while vines festooned 
 the trees, and the hollows contained large patches of 
 water. By and by came watercourses, now resem- 
 bling small rivers, twenty yards broad and four feet 
 deep. The further they went, the broader and deeper 
 these became. The bottoms of the streams con- 
 tained great numbers of deep holes made by the 
 wading of elephants; in these the oxen floundered 
 painfully, so that the waggon-pole broke, and he had 
 to work up to the chest in water for three hours and a 
 half. 
 
 At last they came to the Sanshureh, -s^hich at the 
 point at which they reached it was impassable, and 
 they drew up under a magnificent boabab-tree (lat. 
 18° 4' 27" S., long. 24° 6' 20" E.), and resolved to ex- 
 plore the river for a ford. The great quantity of water 
 which they had recently passed through was part of 
 the annual inundation of the Chobe ; and this, which 
 appeared a large deep river, filled in many parts with 
 reeds, and having hippopotami in it, is only one of the 
 branches by which it sends its superabundant water to 
 the south-east. They made many attempts to cross the 
 Sanshureh, but failed ; and their Bushmen friends became 
 tired out, and left them in the night. The traveller 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 199 
 
 was, therefore, obliged to take one of the strongest of 
 his still weak companions, and cross the river in a 
 pontoon, the gift of Captains Codrington and Webb, 
 which he had with him. They each carried some 
 provisions and a blanket, and penetrated about twenty 
 miles to the westward, in the hope of striking the 
 Chobe. Having done their best for the night, they 
 climbed the highest trees in the morning, and could 
 see a large sheet of water, but surrounded by an im- 
 penetrable belt of reeds. This was the broad part of 
 the Eiver Chobe, which is here called Zabesa. Two tree- 
 covered islands seemed to be much nearer the main 
 body of the water than was the point on which they 
 then stood, and they made an attempt to get first to 
 them. After hours of toil they reached one of them, 
 through dense growths of reed and convolvuli, which 
 quite wore through the moleskins of the traveller as 
 well as the leather trousers of his companion. By 
 and by they found a passage formed by a hippopo- 
 tamus, and, eager as soon as they reached the clear 
 water beyond the island to test its depth, they 
 stepped in, and found that it took them at once up to 
 the neck. They, therefore, returned to the shore. 
 Worn out as they were, they proceeded up the bank of 
 the Chobe till they came to the point of departure of 
 the Sanshureh, and being unable to effect a crossing, 
 went downward, and had to spend another night with- 
 out having accomplished their purpose. Finding in 
 the morning an inlet to the Chobe not closed up with 
 reeds, they launched their pontoon, the river being here 
 a deep stream of from eighty to a hundred yards wide. 
 They paddled on from mid-day till sunset, with 
 
200 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 nothing but a wall of reeds on each bank, having 
 distinctly the prospect of a supperless night in their 
 float, when just as the short twilight of these parts was 
 commencing, they perceived on the north bank the 
 village of Moremi, and one of the Makololo, whose ac- 
 quaintance Livingstone had made in his former visit,'and 
 who was now located here on the island of Mahonta 
 (lat. 17° 58' S., long. 24° 6' E.). The people were 
 greatly surprised to see them, and, in their figurative 
 mode of speech, said, " He has dropped among us from 
 the clouds, yet came riding on the back of a hippopo- 
 tamus ! We Makololo thought no one could cross the 
 Chobe without our knowledge, but here he drops among 
 us like a bird." Next day they returned in canoes 
 across the flooded lands, and found that in their 
 absence the men had allowed the cattle to wander into 
 a small patch of wood, containing tsetse ; and this 
 carelessness cost ten fine oxen. After remaining a 
 few days, some of the headmen of the Makololo came 
 down from Linyanti, with a large party of Barotse to 
 take them across the river. This they did in good 
 style, swimming and diving more like alligators than 
 like men, taking the waggons to pieces, and carrying 
 them across on a number of canoes lashed together. 
 He was now among friends, and, going about thirty 
 miles to the north in order to avoid the still flooded 
 lands on the north of the Chobe, he turned westward 
 towards Linyanti, where he arrived on the 23rd of 
 May, 1853. This is the capital town of the Makololo, 
 and only a short distance from the waggon-stand which 
 the traveller had occupied in 1851 (lat. 18° 20' S., long. 
 23° 50' E.). 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 201 
 
 The whole population of Linyanti, numbering be- 
 tween six and seven thousand souls, turned out in a body 
 to see the waggons in motion. They had never seen 
 this phenomenon before, the traveller having on the 
 former occasion departed by night. Sekeletu, now in 
 power, received him in what is considered royal style. 
 The court herald, an old man who had occupied the 
 post in Sebituane's time, stood up, and, after some 
 antics, such as leaping and shouting at the top of his 
 voice, bawled out, " Don't I see the white man ? Don't 
 I see the comrade of Sebituane? Don't I see the 
 father of 8ekeletu ?" 
 
 Sekeletu was a young man of eighteen years of age, 
 of that dark yellow or coffee-and-milk colour of which 
 the Makololo are so proud, because it distinguishes 
 them considerably from the black tribes on the rivers. 
 He was about five feet seven in height, but neither so 
 good-looking nor of so much ability as his father, but 
 was equally friendly to the Enghsh. Sebituane had 
 installed his daughter Mamochisane into the chieftain- 
 ship long before his death ; but after his decease, and 
 having made trial of the new position, she did not like 
 it, and proposed and upheld the claims of her brother. 
 Three days having been spent in public discussion on 
 the subject of the transfer, Mamochisane at last stood 
 up in the assembly, and addressing her brother, said, 
 with a womanly gush of tears, " I have been a chief 
 only because my father wished it. I always would 
 have preferred to be married and have a family like 
 other women. You, Sekeletu, must be chief and build 
 up your father's house." And Sekeletu was established 
 in authority. 
 
 p 
 
202 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 When the Mambari, in ]850, took home a favourable 
 report of this new market to the West, a number of 
 half-caste Portuguese were induced to visit the country 
 in 1853 ; and one who closely resembled a real Por- 
 tuguese, came to Linyanti while Livingstone was there. 
 He had no merchandise, and pretended to have come 
 in order to inquire what sort of goods were necessary 
 for the market. He seemed much disconcerted by 
 Livingstone's presence. When he had departed, and 
 gone about fifty miles to the westward, he carried off 
 an entire village of the Bakalabari belonging to the 
 Makololo. He had a number of armed slaves with 
 him, and men, women, and children were removed, the 
 fact not being known at Linyanti until a considerable 
 time afterwards. 
 
 A large party of Mambari had come to Linyanti, 
 when Livingstone was detained by the flooded streams 
 on the prairies south of the Chobe. As the news of 
 his being in the neighbourhood reached them, their 
 countenances fell; and when some Makololo who had 
 assisted him to cross the river returned with the hats 
 which he had given them, the Mambari betook them- 
 selves to precipitate flight. The Makololo inquired 
 the cause of such haste, and were told that if Livingstone 
 found them there, he would take all their slaves and 
 goods from them ; and though assured by Sekeletii that 
 Ijivingstone was not a robber, but a man of peace, they 
 fled by night, while he was still sixty miles off*. 
 
 The chieftainship of Sekeletu had been opposed, and 
 still was, by a man named Mpepe, a person to whom 
 Sebituane had committed the care of certain of his 
 affairs at a distance from the capital. This man was 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 203 
 
 in league witli tlie slave-traders, and himself aspired to 
 be chief. He had provided himself with a small battle- 
 axe, and had declared his intention of cutting Sekeletu 
 down the first time they met. Livingstone's object was 
 first of all to examine the country for a healthy locality 
 before attempting to make a path to either the east or 
 the west coast, and, with this in view, he proposed to 
 the chief the plan, of ascending the great river which he 
 had discovered in 1851. Sekeletu volunteered to ac- 
 company him ; and when they had got about sixty miles 
 on their way, they encountered Mpepe. The Makololo, 
 though having abundance of cattle, had never used 
 them for riding purposes till the traveller had suggested 
 the practice in 1851. Sekeletu and his companions 
 were now on ox-back. Mpepe, armed with his axe, 
 when he saw them ran towards them w ith, all his might, 
 but Sekeletu, being on his guard, galloped off to an 
 adjacent village. Mpepe had given his own party to 
 understand that he would cut down Sekeletu, either on 
 their first meeting, or at the breaking up of their first 
 conference. The former intention had been frustrated, 
 but he determined to effect his purpose at the close of 
 their first interview. Livingstone happened to sit down 
 between the two in the hut in which they met. Being 
 fatigued with riding all day in the sun, he soon asked 
 the chief where he was to sleep, and he replied, " Come, 
 I will show you." As they rose together, he uncon- 
 sciously covered Sekeletu's body with his own, and so 
 saved him from the stroke of the assassin. He knew 
 nothing of the plot, but remarked that all Mpepe's men 
 retained their arms, even after the party had sat down 
 — a thing quite unusual in the presence of a chief ; and 
 
 P 2 
 
204 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 when Sekeletu showed him the hut in which he was to 
 spend the night, he said, "That man wishes to kill me." 
 Livingstone afterwards learnt that some of Mpepe's 
 attendants had divulged the secret; and this man 
 having been dangerous even before Sebituaue's death, 
 k^ekeletu, bearing in mind his father's instructions, had 
 him put to death that night. The affair was managed 
 so quietly that, although Livingstone was sleeping a 
 few yards from the scene, he knew nothing of it till the 
 next morning. Nokuane went to the fire at which 
 Mpepe sat, with a handful of snuff, as if he were about 
 to sit down and regale himself. Mpepe said to him, 
 " Nespisa " (give me a pinch), and as he held out his 
 hand Nokuane caught hold of it, while another man 
 seized the other hand, and, leading him out a mile, they 
 speared him. Such is the common mode of executing 
 criminals. 
 
 Soon after Livingstone's arrival at Linyanti, Sekeletu 
 had taken him aside, and pressed him to mention the 
 things he liked best and which he hoped to get from 
 him : anything, either in or out of his town, should be 
 freely given if he would only mention it. He explained 
 to him that his object was to elevate him and his people 
 to be Christians ; but he replied that he did not wish to 
 learn the Book, for he was afraid " it might change his- 
 heart, and make him content with only one wife like 
 Sechele." It was of little use to urge that the change 
 of heart implied satisfaction with all that was right, and 
 dislike to all that was wrong. 
 
 The Makololo women work but little. They cut 
 their woolly hair quite short, delight in having the 
 whole person shining with butter, and dress in a kilt 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 205 
 
 made of ox-hide, and reaching to the knees. A soft skin 
 mantle is thrown across the shoulders when the lady is 
 unemployed. Their ornaments are large brass armlets 
 and anklets, with strings of beads hung around the neck. 
 At the public religious services in the kotla, the Mako- 
 lolo women always behaved with decorum from the 
 first, except at the conclusion of the prayer. Those who 
 had children found that kneeling frightened them lest 
 they should be crushed, and the efforts of the mothers 
 to quiet them so tickled the whole assembly that as 
 soon as the Amen came a hearty laugh spread over the 
 entire congregation. Such little things, unimportant 
 in themselves, help to a correct idea of missionary work 
 among such tribes. The number which attended by 
 the summons of the herald was frequently from five to 
 seven hundred. The service consisted of reading a 
 short portion of the Bible, and the giving of an expla- 
 natory address, usually short enough to prevent weari- 
 ness or want of attention. 
 
 He proposed to teach the IMakololo to read ; but they 
 at first declined. After some weeks, however, Motibe, 
 Sekeletu's father-in-law, and some others determined to 
 brave the mysterious book. Sekeletu himself and some 
 of his companions followed this example, by and by, 
 but before much progress could be made the missionary 
 was on his way to Loanda. 
 
 As he had declined to name anything as a present 
 from the chief, except a canoe to take him up the river, 
 he brought ten fine elephants' tusks one day, and laid 
 them down beside the waggon. He would take no 
 denial, although Livingstone told him that he should 
 prefer to see him trading with Fleming, a man of colour 
 
206 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 from the West Indies, who had accompanied him, and 
 who had come for the purpose. He had during the 
 eleven years of his previous course invariably abstained 
 from taking presents of ivory, having the idea that a 
 religious instructor degrades himself by taking presents 
 from those whose spiritual welfare he professes to seek. 
 
 Presents were always given to the chiefs whom he 
 visited, and nothing accepted in return ; as a rule it 
 was so: but when Sebituane (in 1851) offered some 
 ivory, lie took it, and Avas able by the sale of it to 
 present his son with a number of really useful articles 
 of a higher value than any he had ever before been in 
 a position to present to any chief. He had brought 
 with him as presents, besides the more usual gifts, an 
 improved breed of goats, fowls, and a pair of cats. A 
 superior bull was bought also as a gift to Sekeletu, but 
 he was compelled to leave it behind on account of its 
 having become footsore. He had endeavoured to bring 
 this animal, in performance of a promise which he had 
 made to Sebituane before he died. That chief admiring 
 a calf which the traveller had with him, he proposed to 
 give him a cow for it. It was presented to him at once, 
 and a promise made to bring him another and a better 
 one. Sekeletu was much gratified by this attempt to 
 keep the promise which had been made to his father. 
 The Makololo are remarkably fond of their cattle, and 
 have large herds of them, spending much time in 
 ornamenting and adorning them. They use all the skins 
 of their oxen for making either mantles or shields. 
 
 On the 30th of May Livingstone himself was seized 
 with fever for the first time. He had reached Linyanti 
 on the 23rd; and as his habits had been suddenly 
 
LIYIIs-GSTOXE. 
 
 207 
 
 changed from great exertion to comparative inactivity, 
 this was the result. Anxious to know if the natives 
 were acquainted with any remedy of which he was 
 ignorant, he requested the assistance of one of Sekeletu's 
 doctors. He submitted to the doctor's treatment for a 
 time, but ere long concluded that he could cure the fever 
 more quickly himself. Purgatives, general bleedings, 
 or indeed any violent remedies, are injurious. If one 
 employs a wet sheet and a mild aperient in combination 
 with quinine, and in addition to the native remedies, 
 he will usually find such means effective. There is a 
 good deal in not " giving in " to this disease. A man 
 who is low-spirited, and apt to despond at every attack, 
 will die sooner than one who is not of a depressed 
 temperament. 
 
 When he had formerly left them to proceed to the 
 Cape, the Makololo had made a garden for him, and 
 planted maize in it, that, as they said, he might have 
 fooii to eat when he returned, as well as other people. 
 This was now pounded by the women into fine meal. 
 Sekeletu added to this good supply of mea] ten or 
 twelve jars of honey, each of which contained about 
 two gallons. Liberal supplies of ground-nuts {Aracliis 
 hypogsea) were also furnished every time the tributary 
 tribes brought their dues to Linyanti, and an ox for 
 the use of the party was given every week or two. 
 Sekeletu also appropriated two cows to be milked for 
 them every morning and evening. Such was the 
 acknowledged rule throughout this country — the chief 
 being expected to feed all strangers who came to him 
 on any special business, and took up their abode 
 in his kotla. A present is usually given for the 
 
208 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 hospitality, but, except in cases where the aboriginal 
 customs have been modified, nothing would be asked. 
 
 The Makololo cultivate a large extent of land around 
 their villages ; and both men and women take their 
 share in the labours of the field. The great chief 
 Moshesh sets an example to his people every year, by 
 not only taking the hoe in hand, but working hard 
 with it on certain public occasions. 
 
 The tribes which Sebituaue subjected in this great 
 country pass by the general name of Makalaka. The 
 Makololo are the aristocracy. The nucleus of the whole 
 were Basuto, who came with Sebituane from a com- 
 paratively cold and hilly region in the south. 
 
 When he conquered various tribes of the Bechuanas, 
 as Bakwains, Bangwaketze, Bamangwato, Batauana, 
 and others, he incorporated the young of those tribes 
 into his own. 
 
 Livingstone, having remained a month at Linyanti, 
 departed to ascend the river from Shesheke. He went 
 to the Barotse country, the capital of which is Nariele 
 or Naliele (lat. 15° 24' 27" S., long. 23° 5' 54" E.), in 
 company with Sekeletu and about a hundred and sixty 
 attendants. The country between Linyanti and Shesheke 
 is flat, with the exception of occasional patches ele- 
 vated a few feet above the surrounding level. There are 
 also many mounds where the gigantic anthills of the 
 country have been situated or still appear. These mounds 
 are evidently the wwk of the termites, and the industry 
 of these little labourers is astonishing as one looks upon 
 the gigantic structures which they have reared. Troops 
 of leches appeared feeding quite heedlessly all over 
 the flats ; and although very many of them and of the 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 209 
 
 "nakong" are annually killed, the herds continue to 
 be enormous. 
 
 When the party arrived at any village, the women 
 all turned out to lulliloo their chief. Their shrill voices 
 peal forth " Great lion ! " '* Great chief! " " Sleep, my 
 lord!" and so on. The men utter similar salutations, 
 and the chief receives all Avith becoming indifference. 
 After a few mi^utes' conversation, large pots of beer 
 are produced, and also pots and basins of thick milk. 
 The chief either selects an ox or two from his own 
 numerous cattle stations, or is presented by the head- 
 man of the village, in the way of tribute, with what he 
 needs. Sekeletu and Livingstone had each a gipsy-tent 
 in which to sleep. The bed is a mat made of rushes 
 sewn together with twine; and "the hip-bone soon 
 becomes sore on the hard flat surface, as they were not 
 allowed to make a hole in the floor to receive the 
 prominent part called trochanter by anatomists," as 
 people do when sleeping on grass or sand. 
 
 Their course led them to a part above Shesheke, 
 called Katonga, where there is a village, belonging to a 
 Bashubia man named Sekhosi (lat. 17° 29' 13" S, long. 
 24° 33'E). The river is certainly not less than six hundred 
 yards broad. Several days were necessarily spent in 
 collecting canoes for the ascent of the river. To assist 
 in the support of the large party, Livingstone went out 
 several times with his gun. The country abounds with 
 game, — buffaloes, zebras, tsessebes, tahaetsi, elands, and 
 other kinds. He shot a beautiful eland, a new variety, 
 uj)on seeing which one of the Makololo, who accom- 
 panied him, " a gentleman," speaking in reference to 
 its extraordinary beauty, said, "Jesus ought to have 
 
210 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 given us these instead of cattle." The river is here 
 called the Leeambye. On the occasion of his first 
 visit, he had called it after the town Shesheke. She- 
 sheke means " white sand-banks," many of wliich exist 
 here. Leeambye means "the large river," or the river 
 par excellence. Luambeje, Luambesi, Ambezi, Ojimbesi, 
 Zambesi, and other names are applied to it at different 
 parts of its course — all having a similar signification. 
 
 Having at last procured a sufficient number of canoes, 
 they began to ascend the river. Sekeletu had ten 
 paddlers, and Livingstone six. The fleet consisted of 
 thirty-three canoes. They proceeded rapidly upwards, 
 and felt the pleasure of looking on lands which had 
 never before been seen by the eyes of any European. 
 The river is indeed mag^nificent, beino: often more than 
 a mile broad, and adorned with many islands of from 
 three to five miles in length. The islands and banks 
 are covered with forest, and the scenery all along is 
 extremely beautiful. Great quantities of grain are 
 raised by the Banyeti, and many of the villages of 
 these industrious people are to be found on both banks. 
 The Banyeti are expert hunters, and very skilful in the 
 manufacture of various articles in w^ood and iron. 
 
 From the bend of the river up to the north, called 
 Katima-molelo (I quenched fire), the bed of the stream 
 is rocky, the run of the water is fast, and forms a 
 succession of rapids and cataracts, wdiich prevent 
 continuous navigation when it is low. The rapids are 
 not visible when the river is full, but the cataracts of 
 Nambwe, Bombwe, and Kale must always be dangerous. 
 The fall at each of these is from four to six feet. The 
 falls at Gronye present a much more serious obstacle. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 211 
 
 They were there oblifred to take their canoes out of the 
 water and carry them more than a mile by land. The 
 fall is about thirty feet. 
 
 As they passed up the river, the different yillages 
 of Banyeti turned out to present Sekeletu with food 
 and skins, as their tribute. When they came to about 
 16° 16' S. lat. the high wooded banks seemed to leave the 
 river. Viewed from the flat reedy basin in which the 
 river then flowed, the banks seemed to be prolonged 
 into ridges of the same wooded character two or three 
 hundred feet high, and stretched away to the N.N.E. 
 and N.N.W. until they were twenty or thirty miles 
 apart. The intervening space, nearly one hundred 
 miles in length, with the Leeambye winding gently 
 near the middle, is the true Barotse valley. It closely 
 resembles the valley of the Nile, and is inundated 
 annually by the Leeambye as Lower Eg^^pt is flooded 
 by the Nile. The soil is extremely fertile, and the people 
 are never in want of grain. The Barotse are strongly 
 attached to this fertile valley ; they say, " Here hunger is 
 not known." Yet this great valley is not put to a tithe 
 of the use it might be. It is covered with coarse succu- 
 lent grasses, one species being twelve feet high, and as 
 thick as a man's thumb. There are no large towns, as the 
 people require to live apart on account of their cattle. 
 
 This was the first visit of Sekeletu to these parts 
 since he had attained the chieftainship. Those who 
 had taken part with Mpepe were consequently in 
 great terror. When the party came to the town of 
 Mpepe's father, he and another man having counselled 
 Mamochisane to put Sekeletu to death and marry 
 Mpepe, the two were led forth and tossed into the 
 
212 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 river. Eemonstrance against the deed was vain, and 
 liad no eiTect. 
 
 In this ascent of the river, Livingstone visited a 
 number of ]\Iakololo villages, and was always received 
 with a hearty welcome as a messenger of peace, wliich 
 they term " sleep." They behaved well at all public 
 meetings, even on the occasion of their first attendance. 
 
 It was now quite plain that no healthy location could 
 be obtained in which he could settle as a missionary with 
 the Makololo, and hope to live in peace ; and he says, 
 " I might, therefore, have come home and said that 
 the door was shut. But, believing that it was my duty 
 to devote some portion of my life to these (to me at 
 least) very confiding and affectionate Makololo, I 
 resolved to follow out the second part of my plan, 
 though I had failed in accomplishing the first." And 
 with this determination he proceeded, in the sequel, 
 on towards Loanda. During these past nine weeks, he 
 had been in closer contact with heathenism than even he 
 had experienced before ; and though all, including the 
 chief, had been as kind and attentive to him as possible, 
 and although he had suffered no want of any kind, yet 
 the dancing, roaring, and singing, the jesting, anecdotes, 
 grumbling, quarrelling, and murdering of these children 
 of nature, seemed more like a severe penance than 
 anything he had ever met before in the whole course 
 of his missionary experience. "Even the indirect 
 benefits which result from the diffusion of Christianity 
 are worth all the labour and the money which have 
 been expended to produce them." 
 
 Rapidly descending the river, and arriving again at 
 Liuyanti, Livingstone now prepared for the prosecution 
 
LIVINGSTONE, 
 
 213 
 
 of his journey. He miglit have made arrangements with 
 the Mambari to permit him to accompany them as far as 
 Bihe, which is on the road to St. Philip de Benguela, 
 a port which was nearer than Loanda, but it was 
 undesirable to travel in a path once trodden by slave- 
 traders, and therefore he preferred another route. The 
 Mambari had informed him that many English lived 
 at Loanda, and he prepared to go thither. 
 
 He was strongly dissuaded from making any such 
 attempt as this — He would die of fever ;" " He would 
 certainly be killed ;" Your garments already smell of 
 blood." Such was the utterance of the old diviners. 
 But Sebituane had formerly set down such visions to 
 cowardice, and Sekeletu only laughed at them now. The 
 general voice was in Livingstone's favour; and a band 
 of twenty-seven men were appointed to accompany him 
 to the west. These men were not hired, but went to 
 enable him to accomplish an object as much desired 
 by the chief and his people as by himself. They were 
 eager to obtain free and profitable trade with white 
 men. 
 
 The three men whom he had brought from Kiiruman 
 had frequent relapses of fever; he therefore decided 
 that they should return with Fleming, the trader, 
 when he should be ready to return south ; and thus he 
 was entirely dependent upon his twenty-seven men 
 whom, he says, " I might name Zambesians, for there 
 were two Makololo only, while the rest consisted of 
 Barotse, Batoka, Bashubia, and two of the Amb5nda." 
 
 His impedimenta did not burden the party by any 
 means. He had no expectation of succeeding by 
 means of what he took with him, if he could not 
 
214 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 accomplish liis purpose by the help of what was in 
 him. He was rather despondent than otherwise when 
 he left Sekeletu and his principal men on the 11th of 
 N'ovember, 1853, to embark on the Chobe. But he 
 had always believed that, if w^e serve God at all, it 
 ought to be done in a manly way," and be was 
 " determined to succeed or perish in the attempt to 
 open up this part of Africa." 
 
 He aoain reached the town of Shesheke on the 19th 
 of November, and gave many public addresses to the 
 people — his audiences sometimes amounting to as 
 many as five or six hundred. Their progress up the 
 river was rather slow. This was caused by waiting 
 opposite different villages for food — Pitsane, his 
 Makololo man, being resolved to carry out the in- 
 structions which he had received from his chief 
 Sekeletu. 
 
 The rapids of the Chobe are caused by rocks of dark 
 brown trap, or of hardened sandstone, stretching quite 
 across the river. They form miles of snch a bottom in 
 some places, studded with islands. These rocks, in 
 certain instances, are covered with a small aquatic 
 plant which seems to contain much stony matter in 
 its substance, and which appears to have a disinte- 
 grating power upon the rocks themselves. Many forest 
 trees line the banks; turtle-doves and others which 
 are well known abound ; but there are varieties of the 
 species which are new. Some are musical. Guinea- 
 fowl are plentiful ; and on dead trees and rocks may be 
 seen many descriptions of the darter or snake-bird. 
 It sits most of the day sunning itself— its chief feeding 
 time being at night. It is a most expert diver. Its 
 
LIVINGSTONE, 
 
 215 
 
 rump is prolonged and flexible, capable of being used 
 as a rudder, and also of being so employed as to lift the 
 creature so far out of the water as to give free scope 
 to the wings. When this is not wanted, the swimming 
 is very low, so that little of the bird is seen besides the 
 head. The fish hawk is frequently to be met with, and 
 near it dead fish, more having been killed than his 
 lordship required. There is always a portion of every 
 fish left behind, only certain tit-bits having been used. 
 These are thankfully appropriated by the Barotse, who 
 live near. 
 
 The rapids between Katima-molelo and Nameta 
 have close by them much deep watei-, in considerable 
 lengths or reaches, and in these there are multitudes of 
 hippopotami. 
 
 At the falls of the Gonye, the canoes were carried 
 over the rapids slung on poles. At these falls the 
 river is so narrow as, in some places, to be not more 
 than a hundred yards wide. The water, when in flood, 
 rises fifty or sixty feet in perpendicular height. The 
 islands above the falls are very beautiful. The people 
 are usually very kind to travellers, and present them 
 with oxen, butter, milk, and meal. The cows, at 
 certain seasons, yield more milk than the inhabitants 
 can use. The rains are sometimes early, sometimes 
 late, but there is never in the Barotse valley any 
 scarcity of food. 
 
 Leaving Naliele, and proceeding up the Leearabye, 
 the banks are found in some places to consist 
 of a light-coloured clay, with strata of black clay 
 intermixed ; at other parts they are black loam in sand, 
 or pure sand stratified. When the water is low, they 
 
216 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 are from four to eight feet high. When the floods 
 come, the one side or the other is worn away, and, 
 from one bend to another, new channels are, at such 
 seasons, continually being formed. Here the flow 
 averages about five miles — i.e. when the water is 
 neither low nor in full flood. The banks being- 
 perpendicular, afford hiding-places for a pretty bee- 
 eater which breeds there. Hundreds of holes, leading 
 to their nests, may be counted for long distances. 
 A speckled kingfisher, which builds in similar places, 
 may frequently be seen. There is also a most beautiful 
 variety of kingfisher, blue and. orange, everywhere 
 abounding by the water-side. And still a third species, 
 about the size of a pigeon, of a slaty colour. This is 
 not so frequently seen. The sand-martin abounds at 
 all seasons, and never migrates. 
 
 Libonta is the next town to be arrived at, and is the 
 last town of the Makololo. It is situated on a mound^ 
 like the rest of the villages of the Barotse valley. 
 Beyond there are only some cattle stations and small 
 hamlets, and then an uninhabited border-land reaching 
 far onward in the direction of Londa or Lunda. 
 Beyond the inhabited parts, the country abounds in 
 animal life in great variety of form. There are 
 upwards of thirty descriptions of birds. The ibis 
 comes down the Leeambye by hundreds, as on the 
 Nile. There are large white pelicans, in flocks of two 
 or three hundred, and innumerable plovers, snipes, 
 curlews, and herons. Besides these there are, less 
 commonly known, the white ardetta, in flocks, settling 
 on the backs of large herds of buffaloes ; and tlie kala, 
 with the strange-looking scissor-bill, which may also be 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 217 
 
 seen sitting in large numbers on the withers of buffaloes 
 when the herd is at full speed. There are many 
 spoonbills, the flamingo, the Numidian crane, and two 
 varieties of crane besides. Gulls abound. One little 
 wader, an avoset, appears, on account of the length of 
 its legs, as if it were standing on stilts ; while another, 
 the Parra Africana, runs about on the surface of the 
 water. It has long legs also, extremely thin, with wide- 
 spreading toes. So marvellously has Providence 
 adapted it to its mode of life, that, on account of the 
 spread of its toes, it can stand on a lotus-leaf not more 
 than five inches in diameter, never sinking, but obtain- 
 ing its livelihood, not by swimming or flying, but by 
 catching its insects while it walks on the water. Every- 
 where in the Barotse valley there are large flocks of 
 black geese; there are also other varieties of geese, 
 and many ducks of different kinds. There are very 
 many alligators in the river. Vast herds of wild 
 animals occupy the plains, among them being several 
 beautiful and new species of antelopes. 
 
 Livingstone, on the occasion of his visiting these 
 scenes for tiie first time, was detained for some days, 
 in order that he might return to their homes some 
 dozen captives, the people of Makoma, whom he had 
 induced their captors to restore. The same kindly 
 act had already been performed on behalf of others. 
 This was thirty or forty miles above Libonta. At the 
 confluence of the Leeba and Leeambye, he and his 
 people spent a Sunday, and he says : — 
 
 "Kains had fallen here before we came, and the 
 woods had put on their gayest hue. Flowers of great 
 beauty and curious forms grow everywhere. The 
 
 Q 
 
218 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 ground begins to swarm with insect life ; and in the 
 cool pleasant mornings the welkin rings with the 
 singing of birds, which is not so delightful as the 
 singing of birds at home, because I have not been 
 familiar with them from infancy. The notes, however, 
 strike the mind by their loudness and variety, as the 
 wellings forth, from joyous hearts, of praise to Him 
 who fills them with overflowing gladness. All of us 
 rise early to enjoy the luscious balmy air of the 
 morning. We then have worship ; but amidst all the 
 beauty and loveliness wdth which we are surrounded, 
 there is still a feeling of want in the soul in viewing 
 one's poor companions, and hearing bitter, impure 
 words jarring on the ear in the perfection of the 
 scenes of nature, and a longing that both their hearts 
 and ours might be brought into harmony with the 
 Great Father of spirits. I pointed out, as usual, in 
 the simplest words I could employ, the remedy which 
 God has presented to us, in the inexpressibly precious 
 gift of His own Son, on whom the Lord 'laid the 
 iniquity of us all.' The great difficulty in dealing 
 with these people is to make the subject plain. The 
 minds of the auditors cannot be understood by one 
 who has not mingled much with them. They readily 
 pray for the forgiveness of sins, and then sin again; 
 confess the evil of it, and there the matter ends. 
 
 " I shall not often advert to their depravity. My 
 practice has always been to apply the remedy with all 
 possible earnestness, but never to allow my mind to 
 dwell on the dark shades of men's characters." 
 
 Before reaching the junction of the Leeba and Leeam- 
 bye, the banks are twenty feet high, and are composed of 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 219 
 
 marly sandstone. These are covered with trees, and 
 on the left is the tsetse, there being also many 
 elephants. The floods cover these banks ; but as 
 they do not remain long, the trees are not destroyed. 
 On the right bank is the Manga, a country of grass, 
 with but few trees. Flocks of green pigeons abound 
 among the trees. Large shoals of fish of various kinds 
 come down the Leeambye wdth the floods. Many 
 descriptions of fish are left by the retiring waters all 
 along the Barotse valley in large numbers, and are 
 preserved by the people for future use. But they are 
 not able to consume the abundance with which they 
 are furnished, and an immense quantity is, in some 
 instances, left to putrefy and be lost. There are many 
 hippopotami everywhere all along the river. 
 
 From the confluence downwards, as far as Mosioa- 
 tunya, there are many long reaches of deep water, 
 equal in breadth and depth to the Thames at London 
 bridge. In some parts there are sandbanks, but in 
 others there are many miles free from such obstruction ; 
 for example, beyond the sandbanks below the confluence 
 of the Leoti, there is a free space of a hundred miles 
 reaching to the Kiver Simah, in which a Thames steamer 
 could ply at all seasons of the year. Again, there are 
 hindrances in the form of cataracts and rapids ; these 
 are between Simah and Katiraa-melolo ; but from 
 the latter place to the confluence of the Chobe there 
 must be not far from a hundred miles of a river capable 
 of being safely navigated. The part of the country 
 through which the river flows is abundantly fertile, as 
 appears from the strong rank growths which it naturally 
 produces. It is capable of supporting millions. 
 
 Q 2 
 
220 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Ascending the Leeba, the water is found to be 
 darker than that of the main stream, and is called 
 the Kabompo. The Leeba flows with steady calmness, 
 and receives many small streams on either side. It 
 winds its placid way through beautiful meadows. At 
 certain seasons these have the look of the carefully 
 kept park of an English mansion. There are vast 
 varieties of flowers, and many bees, there being abun- 
 dance of honey in the woods. There are numbers of 
 alligators in the river; but these recede from the 
 presence of man, their increase in number being pre- 
 vented by the fact that the natives gather their eggs 
 and eat them with much relish. The egg is about 
 the size of that of a goose. Immediately on their 
 being hatched, the dam leads them to the water, 
 the nests being usually about ten or twelve feet dis- 
 tant, and then they are entirely left to provide for 
 themselves. 
 
 The Leeba has but little flood in it. There are not 
 many varieties, nor any great number of birds or fish. 
 The game is not abundant. It chiefly consists of the 
 zebra, the buffalo, and a small antelope. There is 
 much superstition among the people, and now and 
 again indications of the presence of idol worship. The 
 latter, however, are rare. The chiefs are frequently 
 women. Livingstone, on visiting one of these, found 
 her arrayed in oil and red ochre, with numerous orna- 
 ments on her head, and wrists, and ankles, and person — 
 her people, so far as true garment was concerned, 
 being much more amply clothed than herself. Manenko 
 he found to be " a tall strapping woman about twenty." 
 Her husband, Samoana, was clothed in a kilt of green 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 221 
 
 and red baize, and was armed with a spear and broad- 
 sword of antique form. All communication was through 
 him to her, to whom he invariably passed it on. It 
 is always impolitic and unsafe to pass a chief without 
 explaining one's purpose and design. Besides, there 
 is always on such occasions, as in the present instance, 
 where the explorer is also the missionary, the op- 
 portunity of showing the folly, uselessness, and hurt- 
 fulness of the prevailing superstitions, and of stating 
 the truth and message of the Gospel. 
 
 The houses in the villages which these people occupy 
 are separate dwellings, and well stockaded. An enemy 
 coming in the night would find it difficult to effect 
 an entrance. Bows and arrows, not guns as farther 
 south, are their arms ; but they have cleared the 
 country of game as effectually as in places where fire- 
 arms are in use. 
 
 The forests become more dense the farther north 
 one goes, and in these forests are to be found many 
 artificial beehives. These consist of about five feet of 
 the bark of a tree fifteen or eighteen inches in diameter. 
 Two. incisions are made quite round the tree at a 
 distance of about five feet from each other, and then a 
 slit is made from the one to the other. Next day it 
 is detached from the tree. The slit is sew^ed up, or 
 the sides are pegged together — ends are made with 
 grass rope, an opening in the centre being left for 
 the bees, and the hive is complete. These hives are 
 placed horizontally on high trees, and in this way is 
 collected all the wax exported from Benguela to 
 Loanda. In the rainy season great quantities of mush- 
 rooms are to be found. The deep gloom of this forestal 
 
222 AFRICA. 
 
 land contrasts strongly with the blmding glare of the 
 Kalahari ; and, though constantly soaked and steamed 
 from day to day, much enjoyment may be experienced 
 by the traveller. Every now and again one emerges 
 from the gloom of the forest into the light and beauty 
 of some small valley, and the villages are just about as 
 numerous as the valleys. 
 
 The idols are more numerous farther nortli. They 
 are placed in the woods, without any temple, stand- 
 ing on beams supported by poles, and near to the 
 villages. The preference of idols for " groves " appears 
 to have extended, and to still extend, to many lands. 
 Here the people do not love their idols — they fear 
 them, as idolaters always do. They betake themselves 
 to their idols only when in perplexity or danger. 
 Pity that any who profess a purer faith should imitate 
 their example and act so in respect to the living and 
 true God! 
 
 There is an extensive plain beyond the Leeba which 
 must be crossed in order to reach the capital of Shinte, 
 the brother of Manenko, the lady-chief of whom w^e have 
 spoken. In the wet season, the whole plain is covered 
 with water ankle deep. Many other parts of this country 
 are, in the same circumstances, more deeply flooded 
 still. These immense bodies of water, like so many lakes, 
 slowly percolate into different feeders of the Leeba, or 
 into the Leeba itself ; of course, when the rainy season 
 is over, being also partly evaporated by the sun. 
 When water stands long in this country, it destroys 
 the vegetation of trees. Hence on these plains there is 
 scarcely anything but grass. The plains of Lobale are 
 said to be more extensive than anv to the east of 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 223 
 
 them nearer the river : these plains give rise to 
 many streams, which, being united, form the deep, 
 never-failing River Chobe. In like manner, other 
 plains originate the streams Loeti and Kasai ; and 
 further on, all the rivers of a wide stretch of country 
 come from the oozing of bogs, without contribution 
 from any other description of source. 
 
 Onwards is a branch of the Lokalueje, like all 
 branches of great rivers in this country, named after 
 the main stream Nuana Kalueje, or child of Kalueje. 
 Hippopotami are found in the Lokalueje. It is there- 
 fore always of considerable depth. In the rainy season 
 it is about forty yards in breadth, and at other times is 
 probably about half that width. The Lokalueje winds 
 from north-east to south-west into the Leeba. The whole 
 of this territory, the Londa, is rich in natural pasturage, 
 and in the grains which are sown by the inhabitants of 
 the villages which occupy the higher lands. 
 
 Great numbers of fish spread themselves over the 
 flooded plains, and, as the waters recede, of course try 
 to find their way back to the rivers. The Balonda make 
 dykes across the outlets, and by placing creels in the 
 narrow openings which are left, so catch many, which 
 they dry in smoke, and find a likeable variety to 
 tlieir more ordinary food. Nets are not common ; but 
 sometimes a hook is used. The traveller next reaches 
 the village of Soana Molopo, a half brother of Katema, 
 a few miles beyond the Lokalueje. Beyond is a stream 
 in the rainy season forty yards wide, and called Mona- 
 Kalueje, or brother of Kalueje, since it flows into that 
 river. Crossing the river, the same sort of woodland 
 and meadow as before is reached, stocked with buffaloes, 
 
224 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 elands, koodoos, and antelopes. When the Gospel was 
 first preached by Livingstone to the villages in these 
 parts, nothing astonished the people more than his 
 discourse on his properly perpetual theme, '^the great 
 fact of the Son of God's having come down from heaven 
 to die for us." They have no idea of religion themselves 
 — religion that may be called religion — and are always 
 more influenced, in all things, by fear rather tlian love. 
 But, " Yes : He actually came to men. He Himself 
 told us about His Father, and the dwelling-place whither 
 He has gone. We have His words in this book, and He 
 really endured punishment in our stead from pure love." 
 They become interested in this : and if this do not 
 excite their attention and interest, nothing else will. 
 
 Here, when a chief dies, a number of his people are 
 killed that they may become his servants in the other 
 world. The Barotse have the same custom ; and so is 
 it in many parts of Africa. Happily the ameliorating 
 and humanising influence of Christianity, wherever 
 missionaries have penetrated, has much abated it, even 
 where that influence has as yet been only secondary 
 and not saving. Going northwards superstition is more 
 cruel and bloodthirsty. 
 
 When the late Matiamvo took a fancy to anything, 
 he would have it. If a slave-trader visited him, he 
 would seize the whole of his goods, keep them for some 
 days, and then send a party to surprise some village of 
 considerable size, having the head man killed, that he 
 might sell the inhabitants to pay for the goods. If any 
 asked if Matiamvo did not know that he was a man, and 
 that in another state a great Lord would judge him, 
 the reply was sure to be, as it has been, " We do not 
 
LIYINaSTONE. 
 
 225 
 
 go up to God, as white men go; we are put into the 
 ground." Even where there is any faint idea of a future 
 state, there is no conception of heayen : it is supposed 
 that the soul is always somewhere near to the place 
 where the body lies. 
 
 Crossing the river Lotembwa, the town of tlie great 
 chief Katema is reached, about eight miles distant. It 
 is a straggling town — more a collection of villages than 
 a town (lat. 11° 35' 49" S., long. 22° 27' E.). When 
 Katema formally received Livingstone, who had come 
 so far to visit him, he was seated on a rude description 
 of tbrone, there being about three hundred men around 
 him, on the ground, squatted in the usual fashiou, with 
 thirty women behind the hing, who were said to be his 
 wives. The main body of the people were seated in a 
 semicircle, about fifty yards off ; each party had its own 
 head stationed at a little distance in front, and, when 
 beckoned by the chief, came near him as councillors. 
 Intemese, an interpreter whom tlie party had brought 
 with them, '^gave our history," says the explorer- 
 missionary, " and Katema placed sixteen large baskets 
 of meat before us." There were in all, without including 
 the escort from the chief last visited, thirty-seven men 
 — it being necessary that for the managing of canoes 
 on the rivers, and for other purposes, there should be a 
 company of natives to go witli the traveller. These 
 were Makololo, furnished as we have seen by Sekeletu. 
 Intemese was a man about fifty, and was sent by old 
 Shinte, a chief but recently visited on the way, — and 
 this man was instructed to be guide and interpreter on 
 to the town of Katema. He had a party with him. In 
 addition to the meat, the present of Katema consisted 
 
226 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 of " half a dozen fowls, and a dozen eggs." They had 
 had a present the night before, but, inasmuch as they 
 had arrived towards night, there was less formality in 
 the giving of it. He expressed regret that ^ve had 
 slept hungry;" although they had not — there is 
 courtliness, of its kind, even in the heart of Africa. 
 " He did not like any stranger to suffer want in his 
 town ; and added, ' Go home, and cook and eat, and 
 you will then be in a fit state to speak to me, at an 
 audience I will give you to-morrow.' He was busily 
 engaged in hearing the statements of a large body of 
 fine young men who had fled from Kangenke, chief of 
 Lobale, on account of his selling their relatives to the 
 Portuguese. Katema is a tall man, about forty years 
 of age [1854], and his head was ornamented with a 
 helmet of beads and feathers. He had on a snuff-brown 
 coat, with a broad band of tinsel down the arms, and 
 carried in his hand a large tail made of the caudal 
 extremities of a number of gnus. This has charms 
 attached to it, and he continued waving it in front of 
 himself, all the time we were there. He seemed in 
 good spirits, laughing heartily several times. This is a 
 good sign, for a man who shakes his sides with mirth 
 is seldom difficult to deal with. When w^e rose to take 
 leave, all rose with us, as at Shinte's. 
 
 '*Returninof next mornino- Katema addressed me 
 thus : ' I am the great Moene (lord) Katema, the fellow 
 of Matiamvo. There is no one in this country equal to 
 Matiamvo and me. I have always lived here, and my 
 forefathers too. There is the house in which my father 
 lived. You found no human skulls near the place 
 where you are encamped. I never killed any of the 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 227 
 
 traders ; they all come to me. I am the great Moene 
 Katema, of wliom you have heard.' On explaining 
 my object to him, he promptly pointed out three men 
 who would be our guides, and explained that the north- 
 west path was the most direct, and that by which all 
 traders came, but that the water at present standing 
 on the plains would reach up to the loins ; he would 
 therefore send us by a more northerly route, which no 
 trader had yet traversed. This was more suited to our 
 wishes, for we never found a path safe that had been 
 trodden by slave-traders." 
 
 To this great chief were presented a few articles 
 which pleased him much — "a small shawl, a razor, 
 three bunches of beads, some buttons, and a powder- 
 horn." When asked what could be brought back to 
 him on the return journey from Loanda, he replied, 
 " Everything of the white people would be acceptable, 
 and he would receive anything thankfully ; but the 
 coat he had then on was old, and he would like 
 another." The subject of the Bible was introduced ; 
 but his attention could not be obtained or kept when 
 he seemed for the moment disposed to give it. These 
 particulars are stated for the purpose of showing the 
 social and spiritual condition of the people. 
 
 The Lol5 is a considerable stream not far from the 
 town of Katema, with five tributary rivers, the Lishish, 
 Liss or Lise, Kalileme, Ishidish, and Molong. None 
 of these is large in itself, but when united the body of 
 water is far from being despicable. Four or five miles 
 distant is Lake Dilolo, the small end of which is like a 
 river a quarter of a mile broad, and abounds in fish 
 and hippopotami. At its wider part it is about three 
 
228 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 miles, and is about seven or eight long. Tlie people 
 keep singing birds in cages, and such birds, of various 
 kinds, abound in the woods. It is remarkable that, 
 notwithstanding the number of song-birds and pigeons, 
 there is a general paucity of animal life in other forms. 
 Game and the larger kinds of fowl are scarce, and 
 many of the rivers are almost destitute of fish. Such 
 is the variety of nature within the space of not many 
 miles. 
 
 Beyond Dilolo is a large 23lain about twenty miles in 
 breadth. This plain it is, of course, difficult to cross 
 in the rainy season, it being covered with water. Plain 
 as it is, travellers find it to be the water-shed between 
 the southern and northern rivers ; on the one side of it 
 these flow in one direction, and, on the other, to the 
 opposite. Those which flow in a northern direction 
 fall into the Kasai or Loke. The trees in this district 
 are thickly planted, and very high — many of them 
 having sixty or eighty feet of clean trunk. These 
 trees are on the banks of the rivers. 
 
 The villages here are frequently visited by the 
 Mambari, in the interests of the slave-trade ; and in 
 that trade they exercise the most ruthless and 
 barbarous cruelty : the older members of a family are 
 killed off, that they may not be able to offer present 
 resistance or give future trouble — trouble by enchant- 
 ments or otherwise. The belief in the power of en- 
 chantment is widely prevalent. Gunpowder is in great 
 demand as an article of barter ; next to that English 
 calico. Gold is not valued. Trade can be carried on 
 only by exchange. The Kasai or Loke, the great river 
 of this district, is a beautiful stream, perhaps one 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 229 
 
 hundred yards broad, friDged with rich wooding, and 
 flanked with fertile meadows on both its banks. 
 " Though you sail along it for months," say the people 
 of the place, " you will not see the end of it." The 
 ford of the Loke is in 11° 15' 47" S. lat. Katende, the 
 chief, rigorously exacts tribute from all who pass 
 through his country. Beyond his principal town 
 there is a small river, and, even there, there is civilisa- 
 tion enough to have erected a bridge, toll being 
 demanded of all travellers. It will thus be seen that, 
 whatever other qualities may distinguish Katende, 
 neither he nor they can be blamed for heedlessly over- 
 looking their own pecuniary interests. They give 
 nothing, except in the way of sale. So is it also at the 
 village preceding his, Kangenke. 
 
 Passing onwards, the villages of the Kasabi are reached, 
 and beyond these lies the territory of the Chiboque. 
 
 The population of the central parts of the country, 
 as all around here, is large when compared with that 
 of the Cape Colony or the Bechuana country. The 
 amount of cultivated land is small, compared with 
 what it might be. Irrigation at the cost of but little 
 labour is abundantly provided for by many ever-flowing 
 streams; and yet miles of country are absolutely 
 waste ; there is not even game to eat off the fine 
 natural pasturage. The people of this region are not 
 all black — many are bronze in colour. The dialects 
 spoken in the extreme south, whether Hottentot or 
 Kaffre, bear a close affinity to those of the tribes 
 immediately to the north of them, and glide into each 
 other, with so many affinities and in such a manner 
 as indicates plainly the fact that they are cognate 
 
230 AFRICA. 
 
 tongues. Near the equator it is more difficult to detect 
 the fact; but even there it requires only a small 
 amount of attention and reflection to find that all the 
 dialects of these parts belong to but two families of 
 languages, and that these merge into each other. 
 
 When Livingstone reached the village of Njambi, it 
 was on Saturday, and, according to his custom, he 
 hoped to be able not only to spend a quiet Sunday, 
 but to find an opportunity of speaking words of 
 heavenly peace from his Master. But he was disap- 
 pointed. Their provisions being spent, lie ordered a 
 tired riding-ox to be slaughtered, and sent the hump 
 and ribs to Njambi with the message that this was the 
 customary token of respect to chiefs in the part from 
 which he had come. Next morning he received an 
 impudent reply, with a small present of meat. Scorn- 
 ing the meat which had been presented, he demanded 
 either a man, an ox, a gun, powder, cloth, or a shell ; 
 and, in the event of refusal, he intimated his inten- 
 tion to prevent the further progress of the party. The 
 servants who brought the message intimated that when 
 they were sent to the Mambari, they had always 
 received a quantity of cloth for their master, and that 
 they now expected the same. Thus has the curse of 
 slave-dealing infected the whole of these regions with 
 a cruel cupidity in whose path no hospitality, no 
 humanity can be allowed to stand. 
 
 " We," says Livingstone, " heard some of the Chi- 
 boque remark, ' They have only five guns and, about 
 mid-day, Njambi collected all his people, and sur- 
 rounded our encampment. Their object was evidently 
 to plunder us of everything. My men seized their 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 231 
 
 javelins, and stood on the defensive, while the young 
 Chiboque had drawn their swords and brandished them 
 with great fury. Some even pointed their guns at me, 
 and nodded to each other, as much as to say, * This is 
 the way we shall do with him/ I sat on my camp- 
 stool, with my double-barrelled gun across my knees, 
 and invited the cliief to be seated also. When he and 
 his counsellors had sat down on the ground in front of 
 me, I asked what crime we had committed, that he 
 had come armed in that way. He replied that one of 
 my men, Pitsane, while sitting at the fire that morning, 
 had, in spitting, allowed a small quantity of saliva to 
 fall on the leg of one of his men, and this ' guilt ' he 
 wanted to be settled by the fine of a man, ox, or gun. 
 Pitsane admitted the fact of a little saliva having 
 lallen on the Chiboque, and in proof of its being a pure 
 accident mentioned that he had given the man a piece 
 of meat, by way of making friends, and wiped it off 
 with his hand as soon as it fell. In reference to a man 
 being given, I declared that we were all ready to die 
 rather than give up one of our number to be a slave ; 
 that my men might as well give me as I give one of 
 them, for we were all free men. ' Then you can give 
 the gun with which the ox was shot.' As we heard 
 some of his people even now remarking that we had only 
 ' five guns,' we declined, on the ground that, as they were 
 intent on plundering us, giving a gun would be helping 
 them to do so. 
 
 " This they denied, saying they wanted the customary 
 tribute only. I asked what right they had to demand 
 payment for leave to tread on the ground of God, our 
 common Father ? If we trod on their gardens, we would 
 
232 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 pay, but not for marcliing on land wliicli was still God's, 
 and not theirs. They did not attempt to controvert 
 this, because it is in accordance with their own ideas. 
 
 "My men now entreated me to give something; and 
 after asking the chief if he really tliought the affair of 
 the spitting a matter of guilt", and receiving an answer 
 in the affirmative, I gave him one of my shirts. The 
 young Chiboque were dissatisfied, and began shouting 
 and brandishing their swords for a greater fine. 
 
 "As Pitsane felt that he had been the cause of this 
 disagreeable affair, he asked me to add something else. 
 I gave a bunch of beads, but the counsellors objected 
 tliis time, so I added a large handkerchief. The more 
 I yielded, the more unreasonable their demands became, 
 and at every fresh demand a shout was raised by the 
 armed party, and a rush made around us with brandish- 
 ing of arms. One young man made a charge at my 
 head from behind, but I quickly brought round the 
 muzzle of my gun to liis mouth, and he retreated. I 
 pointed him out to the chief, and he ordered him to 
 retire a little. I felt anxious to avoid the effusion of 
 blood; and though sure of being able with my Makololo, 
 who had been drilled by Sebituane, to drive off twice 
 the number of our assailants, though now a large body, 
 and well armed with spears, swords, ari'ows, and guns, 
 I strove to avoid actual collision. My men were 
 quite unprepared for this exliibition, but behaved with 
 admirable coolness. The chief and counsellors, by 
 accepting my invitation to be seated, liad placed them- 
 selves in a trap, for my men very quietly surrounded 
 them, and made them feel that there was no chance of 
 escaping their spears. I then said that, as one tiling 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 233 
 
 after another had failed to satisfy them, it was evident 
 that they wanted to fight, while ive only wanted to 
 pass quietly through the country ; that they must 
 begin first, and bear the guilt before God ; we would 
 not fight till they had struck the first blow. I then 
 sat silent for some time. It was rather trying for me, 
 because 1 knew that the Chiboque would aim at the 
 white man first; but I was careful not to appear 
 flurried, and, having four barrels ready for instant 
 action, looked quietly at the savage scene around. 
 The Chiboque countenance, by no means handsome, is 
 not improved by the practice of filing the teeth to a 
 point. The chief and counsellors, seeing that they 
 were in more danger than I, did not choose to follow 
 our decision that they should begin by striking the 
 first blow, and then see what we could do, and were 
 perhaps influenced by seeing the air of cool preparation 
 which some of my men displayed, at the prospect of 
 a work of blood." 
 
 The excuse, if excuse be needful for introducing 
 such an extract as this, is to be found in the fact that 
 we have here put before us a distinct pliase of African 
 character. Such a scene is not to be reproduced 
 except by an eye-witness. We here, however, find 
 the missionary explorer himself in a position somewhat 
 new to him, and are not indisposed to a feeling of 
 satisfaction with the self-defensive manliness which 
 could so gracefully combine itself with the principles 
 of peace and good-will to men. 
 
 A compromise was, at last, effected — an ox was given 
 and accepted, and the party passed on. Slavery \mis 
 at the bottom of the mischief. These people had been 
 
234 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 accustomed to get a slave or two from every dealer 
 who passed them. The poor slaves of a gang had cost 
 but little, and such a gift could easily be spared, and 
 the people were debauched through whose borders the 
 traffic had to pass. 
 
 On the west of the Chiboque of N^jambi the slave- 
 trade is vigorously prosecuted. 
 
 A remarkable peculiarity of this country is the 
 absence of thorns. In the regions farther south there 
 are thorns of every size and shape ; here all the trees 
 are thornless with but two exceptions — one a species of 
 nux vomica, and another, the grapple-plant, which 
 has so many hooked thorns as to cling most tena- 
 ciously to any animal to which it may become 
 attached. The stream Chihune flows into the Longe, 
 and that into the Chihombo, a feeder of the Kasai. 
 The Chihombo is a river of considerable size, flowing 
 to the E.N.E. 
 
 Forward some miles is the River Loajima, another 
 tributary of the Kasai. The people here are anything 
 but friendly to strangers or travellers. Their usual 
 demand of a party is a man, an ox, a tusk, or a gun. 
 They belong to the Chiboque, and have all their 
 customs. The probable reason for this general demand 
 of tribute is to be found in the fact that' the slave- 
 traders are very much at the mercy of the chiefs 
 through whose country they must pass. Slaves may 
 run away at any moment, and so the traders might 
 lose their whole property, without the aid of the 
 chiefs. To such lengths did the Bangala, a tribe in 
 this quarter, proceed a few years ago, that they 
 compelled the Portuguese traders to pay for water. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 235 
 
 wood, and even grass — every pretext was invented for 
 imposing fines. 
 
 The village of old longa Panza (lat. 10° 25' S., long. 
 20° 15' E.) is small and embowered in lofty evergreen 
 trees. He demands tribute like the others. Onwards 
 is the Eiver Chikapa (lat. 10° 22' S.), forty or fifty 
 yards wide. There is a ferry over which travellers 
 are carried, in a canoe made out of a single piece of 
 bark sewed together at the ends. Pay is exacted at 
 the ferry to a most exorbitant extent, sometimes before 
 starting, then in the middle of the stream, and a third 
 time on landing. Of course travellers are often much 
 at the mercy of the natives. 
 
 The parts beyond are frequently visited by traders, 
 and strangers are therefore less a spectacle to wonder 
 at, and certain advantages are experienced which are 
 not to be found in more secluded territory. 
 
 The Quilo is a stream ten yards wide. This is quite 
 in the slave market. The people live in fertile plains, 
 in which a small amount of labour suffices for cultiva- 
 tion. Animal food is scarce, vegetable diet abundant. 
 There are many villages. In proceeding W.N.W., 
 many parties of native traders may be met with, each 
 carrying some pieces of cloth and salt — salt is a valuable 
 commodity — with a few beads, to barter for bees'-wax. 
 They are all armed with Portuguese guns, having 
 cartridges and iron balls. When they meet a company 
 of travellers, they usually stand a few minutes, and 
 then present a little salt, and the other party gives a 
 bit of ox-hide, or some other trifle, and then they part 
 with mutual good wishes. There is much variety of 
 character indicated by the differences of condition 
 
 R 2 
 
236 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 observable in the villages. Some are pictures of neat- 
 ness ; others are covered with weeds so high that they 
 almost conceal the huts. Where there is care and 
 industry, cotton, tobacco, and other plants are grown 
 round the huts. Fowls are kept in cages. 
 
 Passing onwards from the Quilo or Kweelo, there is 
 a sudden descent from the high land. On account of 
 its steepness this descent can be effected only at 
 certain points. Below lies the valley of the Quango. 
 It is about a hundred miles broad, clothed with dark 
 forest, except where the light green meadows on the 
 Quango glance out here and there with the shining 
 waters flowing between. The bamboo is met with here, 
 as thick as the arm of a man, as also many new trees. 
 This is the country of the Bashinji, and their chief 
 demands the usual tribute. The Quango is a river 
 one hundred and fifty feet wide and very deep. It is 
 said to contain many venomous water-snakes, which 
 collect around the carcase of any hippopotamus or 
 other large animal which may have been killed in it, 
 or carried down by it. It being so, all the villages are 
 situated at a distance from the banks. Crossing the 
 river there now began to appear the signs of civilisation. 
 Some neat square houses occur, with many half-caste 
 Portuguese in front of them, waiting to welcome the 
 explorer. This was St. Paul de Loanda. Men of 
 various nations treated him with the utmost kindness. 
 After a brief sojourn he returned not quite entirely by 
 the way he came, although his route was but slightly 
 different. He had been three years without hearing 
 from his family, all his letters having missed him, and 
 he longed to visit England. 
 
 i 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 237 
 
 When his Makololo first saw the sea, they Avere 
 naturally affected by emotions entirely new to them. 
 They supposed that they had come to the end of the 
 world. They were disposed to rebel ; but on being told 
 by their leader that he and they had all shared the 
 same fate hitherto, and wonld share it still, they were 
 quieted, and submitted. This has always been cha- 
 racteristic of Livingstone. He has continually identified 
 himself with those who were with him, whomsoever they 
 might be. He has been a man with men whether they 
 were his equals or no. The human soul seems always 
 to obtain respect from him. And he has had his 
 reward. When he was about to embark for home, his 
 Makololo wanted to accompany him ; and all means 
 of persuasion being long without result, he told them 
 to wait for him at Tete till he came back from 
 England; and, poor faithful fellows, they waited! 
 
 Livingstone, in reference to this expedition, writes : 
 '* One of the discoveries I have made is that there are 
 vast numbers of good people in the world, and I do 
 most unfeignedly and devoutly tender my thanks to 
 that gracious One who mercifully watched over me in 
 every position, and influenced the hearts of both black 
 and white to regard me with favour." 
 
 He adds : " As far as I am myself concerned, the 
 opening of the new central country is a matter for 
 congratulation only so far as it opens up a prospect for 
 the elevation of the inhabitants. I view the geo- 
 graphical exploration as the beginning of the missionary 
 enterprise. I take the latter term in its most extended 
 signification, and include everything in it that is in 
 the way of effort for the amelioration of our race, the 
 
238 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 promotion of all those means by which God in His 
 providence is working, and bringing all His dealings 
 with man to a glorious consummation." 
 
 In this spirit he returned home, received many 
 honours, and returned to encounter again the toil and 
 the danger. Further on, we shall find how he suc- 
 ceeded, and what he accomplished. 
 
( 239 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 The • expedition left Zanzibar in June 1857, landing 
 at Kaole, on the opposite coast, and proceeding to 
 Kazeh, the great depot of the Arab merchants, from 
 which they took a route to the west, leading to Tan- 
 ganyika Lake, or Sea of Ujiji, the extreme point of 
 the journey. The whole extent of ground traversed is 
 roughly estimated at between nine hundred and one 
 thousand miles, divided into five regions, distinguished 
 from each other by certain varieties of climate and 
 formation. The expedition consisted of two English- 
 men, Captains Burton and Speke, two half-caste 
 Goanese " boys," a couple of negro gun-carriers, and 
 eight men as helpers in other ways and as soldiers. 
 They were discouraged and dissuaded, but pushed on. 
 The country presented in its aspect little that was 
 interesting, the climate was unhealthy, and the way 
 was obstructed by incessant squabbles witli the natives. 
 The two Europeans suffered severely from prostration ; 
 sunstrokes were of frequent occurrence, and fainting 
 fits and marsli fevers augmented the evil. 
 
 The country through which they had first to pass 
 presented in its general appearance "a mingling of 
 bush and forest, which, contracting the horizon to a 
 
240 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 few yards," was monotonous and wearisome. " The 
 black, greasy ground, veiled with thick shrubbery, 
 supports in the more open spaces screens of tiger and 
 spear grass, twelve and thirteen feet high, with every 
 blade a finger*s breadth, and the towering trees are 
 often clothed from root to twig with huge epiphytes, 
 forming heavy columns of densest verdure, and cluster- 
 ing upon the tojDs in the semblance of enormous birds' 
 nests. The footpaths are crossed by llianas, creepers, 
 and climbers, thick as coir-cables, some coimecting the 
 trees in a curved line, others stretched straight down 
 the trunks, and others windino- in all directions around 
 their supports, frequently crossing one another like 
 network, and stunting the growth of even the vivacious 
 calabash, by coils like rope tightly encircling its neck. 
 The earth, ever rain-drenched, emits the o lour of 
 sulphuretted hydrogen, and in some parts the tra- 
 veller might fancy a corpse to be hidden behind every 
 bush." 
 
 In the maritime parts the local tribes are the 
 Wazaramo and the Wak'hutu, and a large sub-tribe 
 called the Waziraha. There is besides a floating 
 population composed of immigrant tribes, but they are 
 not numerous, neither is their influence great. 
 
 The Wazaramo are the most powerful and rich of all 
 the inhabitants of this region, and they include many 
 sub-tribes. They are remarkable for their greasy odour, 
 their wild staring expression, their coarseness of feature, 
 their loose and lounging gait, and their peculiar mode 
 of dressing their hair, which is matted together by 
 means of a peculiar kind of clay, moistened with the 
 juice of the castor-bean. When this primitive pomatum 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 241 
 
 is nearly dry, the hair is pulled out into numerous wiry 
 twists, till the whole head seems to be covered with a 
 thick and stiff thatch. They are turbulent and im- 
 practicable in their character, and live principally upon 
 the plunder which they extort from merchants and 
 travellers under pretence of dues. Their nearness to 
 the coast, and the consequent intercourse with traders, 
 must no doubt have affected them in many ways, and 
 particularly in regard to their dress, which, for Africans, 
 is extravagant. It consists of a loin-cloth of unbleached 
 cotton, stained with their favourite colour, a dirty 
 yellow ; girdles and bead necklaces of various tints ; 
 white disks, made from sea-shells, and wwn on the 
 forehead or the neck ; massive rings on the wrist, and 
 tight collars, bright and gaudy, tied round the neck. 
 These are the principal parts of their attire. The 
 men, over and above all this, are usually armed to 
 the teeth with spears, bows and arrows, daggers and 
 muskets, when they can get them. In other social 
 respects they are also superior to their neighbours. 
 Their settlements are strongly palisaded, and, although 
 their houses are very poor, they possess convenient 
 arrangements, w^hich are unknown in the distant 
 interior. Their morality is very low. The marriage 
 tie is very loose among them. The man can dissolve 
 the union when he pleases, without assigning a reason, 
 or having one. He may have as many or as few wives 
 as his taste or his means may suggest. 
 
 The Wak'hutu are an inferior race. Cloth or cotton 
 is unknown among them. They live in almost per- 
 petual intoxication : lead miserable lives; their vil- 
 lages are very filthy, and the huts which compose 
 
2i2 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 tliem are of the meanest possible description. Their 
 sub-tribe, the Waziraba, are distinguished by their 
 great profusion of beard. In Africa, this appendage is 
 usually either absent or scanty ; with the AYaziraba it 
 is abundant. The Wadoe are the chief of the im- 
 migrant tribes. They were once formidable, but are 
 now broken and dispersed. They are wild and savage 
 in their appearance, and as much so in their manners 
 and customs. They drink out of human skulls ; and 
 they bury their great men in a sitting posture, with a 
 forefinger sticking out of the earth. Slavery is preva- 
 lent here, and another of the burial superstitions is 
 still observed, that of interring with a deceased chief a 
 male and a female slave, the one to cut fuel for him, 
 and the other to support his head on her lap. 
 
 Zungomero, at which the travellers soon arrived, is 
 the extreme point of tlie maritime region. It is in the 
 centre of the commercial district of those parts, and on 
 the great slave-track, which always presents many 
 melancholy spectacles. The plac^e is well situated for 
 traffic, does a considerable amount of business, and, 
 being visited by many caravans up and down, is gene- 
 rally crowded in the travelling season. The final pre- 
 parations for the expedition were made here, and our 
 travellers having formed their caravan commenced their 
 journey. On the 7th of August their first march con- 
 tinued for five hours, and lay across a sandy soil, sweating 
 and smoking with hot springs, the Englishmen being 
 prostrated ah-eady by miasma, and hardly able to sit on 
 their asses. But they no sooner drew near the mountains 
 than strength returned to them as if by magic. Their 
 next point was Mzizi Mdogo, where they rested for a 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 243 
 
 day. On the way they ^Yere shocked by the sight of 
 many skeletons, picked clean to the bone, the remains 
 of porters, who had perished in the same route from 
 starvation or disease. This particular expedition suf- 
 fered in common with those who had gone before them. 
 Some of their porters hired at Zungomero died, and 
 every now and then a baggage ass wandered away or 
 became unfit to proceed, and* had to be abandoned. 
 
 On the 23rd of August, towards evening, after having 
 traversed a plain between two ranges of mountains, 
 they heard the sound of a drum, the usual indication 
 of a village, which was the last thing they expected to 
 find in so desolate a neighbourhood. As they advanced 
 they came upon what was simply the debris of a village 
 which had once been flourishing, but which now pre- 
 sented a pitiable spectacle of recent destruction. The 
 huts were rent in fragments and half burnt down. The 
 ground was strewn with broken fragments of the 
 contents of the houses, nets and drums. There were 
 no traces of blood ; but it was evident that this was the 
 scene of a recent outrage, probably by slave-dealers. 
 Two of the terrified villagers who had escaped alive 
 were seen lurking in the jungle, not daring to re-visit 
 the wreck of their former homes. But the slaves and 
 porters employed by the expedition were so little 
 affected by what they saw, that they spent the night 
 in singing and dancing, and helping themselves to 
 whatever they could find in the midst of the ruins. 
 
 Eeaching Rumuma, one of the resting-places for 
 caravans, they found provisions comparatively abun- 
 dant, and the natives quite alive to the advantages of 
 their market. Troops of them came down from the 
 
AFRICA. 
 
 hills with fowls and vegetables, and goats, bullocks, 
 and sheep; and their Sultan, having paid a visit to 
 Captain Burton, insisted on making brotherhood with 
 one of his men — a ceremony which consists in letting 
 a little blood on both sides, and mutually tasting it, 
 the solemn barbarity terminating in an exchange of 
 presents. The climate of Iviiniuma was a pleasant 
 change after the incessant rains of the valleys and the 
 dense fogs and mists of the neighbouring mountains ; 
 but even here the locality was unhealthy, and sickness 
 broke out among the porters, and occasioned inconve- 
 nience to the expedition. They had now passed two 
 parallel ranges of the mountains, and were on their 
 way across the plain that leads to the Rubeho, a third 
 range. And now they found signs of cultivation such 
 as they had not witnessed in the former part of their 
 journey — beehives hanging to the branches of trees, 
 water-melons ripening on the flat roofs of the villages, 
 pumpkins and cucumbers in profusion, and comfortable 
 huts. The heat, however, was intense, and the place 
 was infested with termites, which were very troublesome, 
 and which abound in the red, moist clay soils, and in 
 cool damp places. These creatures are endowed with 
 extraordinary powers of destruction. They have been 
 known to drill a hard clay bench, so as to make it like 
 a sieve, in a single night. With incredible rapidity 
 they destroy straps, mats, umbrellas, and cloths, per- 
 forating, pulverising, or tearing them to rags, according 
 to the nature of the texture. 
 
 Water was scarcely to be found in this plain which 
 the expedition was now crossing, and in such circum- 
 stances it was necessary to resort to what is called the 
 
BUKTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 245 
 
 " tirikeza." This is a march Avhich starts in the after- 
 noon from a place where there is water. The prepara- 
 tions for it, which last two or three hours, begin 
 before noon. At length, when everything is ready, the 
 travellers indulge in a parting drink, and, filling their 
 gourds, set out under the fiery snn. The journey is 
 long, as the porters wish to make the next morning's 
 march, which leads to water, as short as possible. It is 
 often midnight before they arrive at their destination, 
 exhausted, lacerated by the jungle, and sometimes 
 lamed by dangerous slips in the innumerable holes and 
 cavities which are dug by field-rats and other burrow- 
 ing vermin. 
 
 Having successfully accomplished their march on 
 the 3rd of September, the expedition reached the 
 " Windy Pass " at the foot of the third range of the 
 Usagara Mountains, on the following day. There was 
 great rejoicing at the happy termination of the much 
 disliked "tirikeza." But the climate was as bad as 
 that of Kumuma — a furnace by day, and a refrigerator 
 by night ; but what of that ? They lay in a cheerful 
 ravine, and from the settlements above the inhabitants 
 flocked down to barter animals and grain, and their eyes 
 were gladdened for the first time since they left the 
 coast with visions of milk, honey, and clarified butter. 
 It is not necessary to have had the same experience to 
 judge of the delight with which the men celebrated their 
 arrival at this station, remaining up half the night, 
 beating drums and singing songs. On the next morning 
 there arrived a dozen caravans with about four hundred 
 porters, with whom, notwithstanding the many jealousies 
 which obtain among these people, the carriers of the 
 
246 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 expedition immediately fraternised. Great was tlie 
 hilarity which followed, and stunning to English ears 
 must have been the talk which on such an occasion 
 a woke the echoes of the quiet ravine. 
 
 But the most difficult part of the journey was still to 
 come. From their camp in the valley, the travellers 
 could look upon the almost perpendicular path 
 scarring the face of the mountain up which they and 
 their loaded beasts had next to toil. Captain Burton 
 says, "Trembling with ague, with swimming heads, 
 ears deafened by weakness, and limbs that could hardly 
 support us, we contemplated this prospect with dogged 
 despair." But they braced themselves to their task, 
 and set themselves to their undertaking. It was fear- 
 ful work, the asses stumbling at every step, and the 
 men scaling a precipice of rolling stones, and never 
 likely to reach the top. In the midst of their labour, 
 exhausted by thirst, illness, and fatigue, the war-cry rang 
 out suddenly from hill to hill, and broken files of archers 
 and spearmen streamed down the paths in all directions, 
 to take advantage of the departure of the caravan for a 
 predatory excursion among the villages. But the tra- 
 vellers, being permitted to proceed, reached the summit 
 at the end of six hours. Captain Speke seems to have 
 suffered most. He made the ascent almost in a state 
 of coma, by the help of two or three supporters, and 
 two days of violent delirium followed before he was 
 able to resume the journey ; and, even then, he was in 
 bis hammock. The descent of the western sloj)es was 
 toilsome, but easy in comparison with the previous 
 ascent. Boulders and great stones now obstructed the 
 track which led down into the Dungomaro, or " Devil's 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 247 
 
 Glen," which opens oat upon the plains of Ugogo, 
 where the second region of the journey terminates. 
 The " Devil's Glen " is one of the most remarkable of 
 the scenes through which they passed. It is a large 
 crevasse in lofty rocks of flint and grey granite, the 
 bottom being strewn with blocks, and the sides lined 
 with narrow ledges of brown humus, supporting dwarf 
 cactuses and stunted thorny trees, high stony peaks 
 towering over all, and closing in the view on exery 
 side. As they advanced, the huge blocks of stone 
 sometimes rose perpendicularly to a height of more 
 than a hundred feet, and the path itself became a sheet 
 of shining rock, with broad gaps in it cut by the 
 action of the torrents. Gradually, the great stone 
 walls were succeeded by low banks of earth, clad with 
 gum-trees ; and the glen, becoming broad and smooth, 
 swept away, verging southwards, into the plain. 
 
 The region just passed is called the mountain region. 
 Upon the whole, it is more agreeable, from its variety 
 of surface, climate, and cultivation, than the mono- 
 tonous and sickly verdure of the maritime country. 
 So far as the local tribes are concerned, there is little 
 to choose between them. The AVaragara, the chief clan 
 of these upland districts, are riotous and yet cowardly. 
 In the higher slopes they are fine men to look at, but 
 in the swampy lowlands they are sunk in the depths 
 of African degradation, and look like their condition. 
 Their development of beard transcends that of the 
 Waziraha ; and their costume, if not more splendid than 
 that of some of their neighbours, presents a great 
 variety of fashions. Ugogi, at which the next halt 
 was made, is two thousand seven hundred and sixty 
 
248 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 feet above the level of tlie sea, and is surrounded by a 
 country tolerably rich in grain and cattle ; but being 
 a great gathering point for caravans, and frequently 
 robbed by marauders on account of its fertility, it is 
 not always possible to obtain provisious in proportion 
 to the natural capabilities of the place. This un- 
 certainty presented a discouraging prospect to our 
 travellers, who had to look forward to a march of four 
 days before they could reach a spot where either 
 provisions or water could be procured. But, providen- 
 tially, they arrived at Ugogi at a moment when 
 they were able to provide themselves with all they 
 wanted, and could resume their journey with grain 
 for six days and water for one night. Ziwa is the spot 
 where water was to be found ; and here black-mail 
 begins to be systematically enforced. Hitherto the 
 chiefs had been satisfied with presents, more or less 
 roughly exacted ; but at Ziwa, tribute is openly taken 
 by force if it be not yielded willingly. There is no 
 fixed tariff, the rate beins: re2:ulated bv the condition 
 and supposed wealth of the traveller. Disputes always 
 arise between the authorities of the place and their 
 victims ; and Captain Burton's party were delayed four 
 days in discussing the question of organised plunder. 
 Similar delays occurred at all the villages and stopping 
 places throughout the region which bears the name of 
 Ugogo. Their worst encounter was at a place called 
 Nyika, or " the Wilderness," at which there resided a 
 sort of ogre, popularly known as Short Shanks, who 
 was at that time, and possibly may still be, the terror 
 of all strangers. This petty tyrant they found to be 
 the most powerful of all the chiefs of this region — a 
 
BURTON AXD SPEKE. 
 
 249 
 
 short, elderly man, nearly bald, "of the colour of 
 chocolate, and built very much like a duck." The 
 difficulty of doing business Avith him arose from his 
 habit of dividing his day into two parts, in one of 
 which he was always surly and unreasonable on the 
 matter of terms, and in the other always drunk, when 
 he refused to transact any negotiations whatever. The 
 consequence was that the caravans were compelled to 
 wait upon his humours, and were sometimes forced to 
 work in his fields before he would consent to receive his 
 dues. Our travellers were detained five days at this clear- 
 ing, and were fortunate at last in being allowed to escape 
 with a lighter mulct than might have been expected 
 in the circumstances. In this third reo-ion of their 
 journey, there is at the extremity of the territory 
 a large and populous settlement, known as Tura 
 Nullah. Their entrance into it was very characteristic 
 of the country and the people. Captain Burton says : 
 
 " We reached a large expanse of pillar stones, where 
 the van had halted, in order that the caravan might 
 make its first appearance with dignity. Ensued a 
 clearing, studded with large stockaded villages, peering 
 over tall hedges of dark green milk-bush, fields of 
 maize and millet, manioc, gourds, and water-melons, 
 and showing numerous flocks and herds, clustering 
 around the shallow pits. The people swarmed from 
 their abodes, young and old hustling one another for 
 a better stare, the man forsook his loom, and the girl 
 her hoe, and for the remainder of the march we were 
 escorted by a tail of screaming boys and shouting 
 adults ; the males almost nude, the women bare to the 
 waist, and clothed only knee-deep in kilts, accompanied 
 
 s 
 
250 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 lis, puffing i^ipes the while, striking their hoes with 
 stones, crying, 'Beads ! beads!' and ejaculating their 
 wonder in strident expressions of ' Hi ! hi !' and ' Hiu ! 
 ih!' and 'Ha! a! a!'" 
 
 As is the custom of the country, the porters took 
 immediate possession of the nearest large village, the 
 whole company dispersing themselves through the 
 courts and compounds of which it was composed. The 
 two Europeans were placed under a wall-less roof, 
 bounded on one side by the village palisade, and here 
 the mob stationed themselves to stare, relieving one 
 another from morning till niglit. 
 
 The fourth region of travel carried the exj)edition 
 into Unyamwezi, the " Land of the Moon." Before 
 entering the country they were warned by an Arab 
 merchant that the natives were dangerous, and it was 
 suggested that their escort was not strong enough. 
 But the intrepid explorers were not to be daunted; 
 nor does it appear that there was any special ground 
 for alarm, as they suffered no farther interruption than 
 a little pillage, against which they were never secure 
 at any part of their journey. They had now been out 
 one hundred and thirty-four days, and had marched 
 nearly six hundred miles, when, on the 7th of 
 November, they arrived at Kizeh, the great centre 
 of commerce of Eastern Unyamwezi, and the emporium 
 of the Omani merchants. The scene of their entrance 
 into Tura Xullah was here repeated, but on a grander 
 scale ; for, in the desert, Kizeh is a city compared with 
 the settlements through which they had passed. It 
 is the custom for a caravan, when it comes within a 
 certain distance of one of these settlements, to prepare 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 251 
 
 for the procliTciDg of an impression. The whole company 
 is collected together, and, putting on their finery, they 
 make a display of their resources. On this occasion, 
 the caravan had been marching from a very early hour. 
 It was eight o'clock in the morning when they halted 
 to put themselves in readiness ; and preliminaries 
 being over, the whole body began to move in a snake- 
 like line over the plain, with flags flying, horns blowing, 
 maskets firing, and, to augment the uproar, every one 
 shouting at the top of his voice. As they approached 
 the town they were received with a genuine Arab 
 welcome. "The road was lined with people," says 
 Burton, " and they attempted to vie with us in volume 
 and variety of sound ; all had donned their best attire, 
 and with such luxury my eyes had long been un- 
 familiar. Advancing, I saw several Arabs standing by 
 the wayside ; they gave the Moslem salutation, and 
 courteously accompanied us for some distance." The 
 travellers having been allowed a clear day of rest, and 
 time for dismissing their porters, the prin(5ipal Arab 
 merchants paid a visit on the following morniug. This 
 w^as not in the way of mere ceremony, but was a matter 
 of kindness and true hospitality : — 
 
 "Nothing could be more encouraging than the 
 reception experienced from the Omani Arabs. Strik- 
 ing indeed w^as the contrast between the open-handed 
 hospitality and the hearty good-will of this truly noble 
 race, and the niggardliness and selfishness of the 
 Africans — it was the heart of flesh, after the heart of 
 stone. A goat and a load of the fine white rice grown 
 in the country were the normal prelude to a visit, and 
 to offers of service which proved something more than a 
 
 s 2 
 
252 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 mere vox et jprseterea nihil. Whatever I alluded to — 
 onions, plantains, limes, vegetables, tamarind cakes, 
 coffee from Karagwali, and similar articles, only 
 to be found amongst the Arabs — were sent at once, 
 and the very name of payment would have been an 
 insult." 
 
 Kizeh, in the plain of Unyanyembe, the central and 
 principal province of the Land of the Moon, offers sin- 
 gular advantages for the purposes which drew together 
 its residents. The plain, which is 3,480 feet above the 
 level of tlie sea, has open communications to the north, 
 south, and west by well-traversed diverging lines ; and 
 its favourable position as a safe centre for commercial 
 operations has gradually made it the head-quarters of 
 the Omani, or pure Arabs, who not only form estab- 
 lishments here, but in many instances remain personally 
 in charge of their depots, while their factors and slaves 
 travel about the country executing their commissions. 
 There are several villages and settlements in the plain, 
 but they are usually small. There are clusters of 
 native hovels, here and there, each bearing the name 
 of its chief : there is a little colony of Arab merchants, 
 called Maroti, consisting of four large houses ; and in 
 the midst there is the settlement of Kizeh, which is a 
 scattered collection of six large hollow oblongs, with 
 central courts, garden-plots, store-rooms, and outhouses 
 for the slaves. The Arabs who frequent the ]3lace are 
 visitors — not colonists. They, therefore, do not increase 
 in number or gather strength. They live comfortably, 
 and their mode of life has even an air of splendour 
 when compared with the squalor by which they are 
 surrounded. Their houses, though single-storied, are 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 253 
 
 large, substantial, and capable of defence. Their 
 gardens are extensive and well-cultivated. They 
 receive regular supplies of merchandise, comforts, and 
 luxuries, from the coast. They are surrounded by 
 concubines and slaves, whom they train to divers crafts 
 and callings. Kicli men have riding asses from Zan- 
 zibar, and even the poorest keep flocks and herds. 
 Their houses have deep and shady verandahs, where 
 there is a broad bench of raised earth-work, which the 
 men use for the enjoyment of the coolness of the 
 morning, and the serenity of the evening — where also 
 they pray, converse, and transact business. A port- 
 cullis lets down, composed of two massive planks, with 
 chains as thick as the cable of a ship — a precaution 
 rendered necessary by the presence of wild slaves : this 
 leads into the carzah, or vestibule. The only furniture 
 is a pair of clay benches, extending along the right 
 and left sides, with ornamental terminations. ^Yhen 
 visitors are expected, rich mats and rugs are spread 
 over them. The rooms have neither doors nor windows, 
 and are lighted by bulls'-eyes, which serve as loopholes 
 in case of need. There are separate apartments for 
 the harem ; and the slaves live in outhouses. From the 
 8th of November to the 14th of December, the party 
 were delayed at Kizeh by illness and perplexities about 
 their attendants. Resuming their journey, they were 
 charmed by the character of the country through which 
 they passed. ^' At the sunset hour the ' Land of the 
 Moon ' is replete with enjoyment. At this time all is 
 life. The vulture soars with silent flight high in the 
 blue expanse; the small birds preen themselves for the 
 night, and sing their evening hymns ; the cattle and 
 
254 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 flocks frisk and gamLol ; and the people busy them- 
 selves with simple pleasures that end the day." 
 
 In a fortnight the travellers arrived at Mesne, the 
 commercial centre of Western Unyamwezi, and the 
 capital of the coast Arabs, as Unyanyembe is of the 
 Omani. It is a rather more important place than 
 Ivizeh and its surrounding hovels, and has an African 
 bazaar, an open space between the houses, ^vhere 
 bullocks are slaughtered daily, and a vegetable market. 
 There is also a small amount of industry at Mesne, 
 which consists of the manufacture of cloths, coarse mats, 
 clay pipe-heads, and ironmongery. But the morals of 
 the j)eople are very low, and at the end of twelve days 
 the Englishmen were thankful to escape to the open 
 country. They w^ere delayed several days at Solola in 
 order to restore certain of their supplies. At this place, 
 in consequence of the mutinous and disorderly conduct 
 of the retinue, some of whom had entered into a 
 conspiracy to prevent the expedition from embarking 
 on the " Sea of Ujiji," to ascertain the limits of which 
 was one of the main objects contemplated, the slaves 
 who had been hired for six months were dismissed as a 
 measure of precaution, and the expedition resumed its 
 march without them on the 16th of January, 1858. 
 At Kajjanjeri, another pestilential spot, Capt. Burton, 
 who had been previously ill, was struck down by an 
 attack of palsy and muscular contraction, which lasted 
 for ten days and which left its traces on him for a year. 
 Not long afterwards, Captain Speke, whose strength 
 had been greatly reduced by fever, was assailed by 
 inflammatory ophthalmia. The record of these ex- 
 plorations bears many indications of 23ersonal suffering. 
 
BUKTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 255 
 
 But there was no lielp for it but to piisli on, well or ill. 
 Eeaching the banks of the Malagarazi river, at Ugaga 
 they were exposed to fresh extortions both on the part 
 of the chief and of the ferrymen. But, having crossed 
 the river, they entered the fifth and last region through 
 which their jonrney was to lead them to Tanganyika 
 Lake, or, as it is otherwise called, the Sea of Ujiji. 
 
 Looking back on their journey, so far as now ac- 
 complished, they say, The Land of the Moon, wdiich is 
 the garden of Intertropical Africa, presents an aspect of 
 peaceful and rural beauty, which soothes the eye like a 
 medicine after the red glare of barren Ugogo, and the 
 dark monotonous verdure of the western provinces. 
 The inhabitants are comparatively numerous in the 
 villages, which rise at short intervals above their 
 impervious walls of the lustrous green milk-bush, with 
 its coral-shaped arms, variegating the well-hoed 
 plains ; whilst in the pasture-lands frequent herds of 
 many-coloured cattle, mingled with flocks of goats and 
 sheep dispersed over the landscape, suggest ideas of 
 barbarous comfort and plenty." 
 
 The inhabitants of these parts — the Wakimbu and 
 the Wanyamwezi — are superior to the tribes previously 
 visited. The Wakimbu build firmly blockaded vil- 
 lages, tend cattle, and cultivate grain ; and the 
 Wanyamwezi are also industrious, and profess to 
 understand commercial transactions. In costume and 
 habits, however, they are not superior to their neigh- 
 bours nearer the coast. They wear their crisp hair in 
 innumerable small ringlets floating over their necks, 
 scar their i'aces with lines of dotted marks, and most of 
 them pluck out their eyebrows. Both men and women 
 
256 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 wear clotlis or skins, and are profusely decorated with 
 beads, coral, disks of shells, circlets of ivory, and little 
 bells and rings of brass or iron. These people are not 
 burdened either with domestic ceremonies or religions 
 formulae ; but they have strict and well-defined customs 
 for the regulation of social rights and the conduct of 
 individuals, which are so implicitly respected as to have 
 the force of laws. These customs are somewhat lax in 
 their morality; but their uniformity of action preserves 
 at least a kind of social order and personal security. 
 
 The march over the fifth region to the lake was the 
 worst of all. It lay through a wilderness of jungle, 
 swamps, and torrents. But with a careful management 
 of their own resources, and occasional help from passing 
 caravans, tliey came at last in sight of the lake — a 
 scene which amply repaid them for all their toils. The 
 travellers themselves say : — 
 
 "On the 13th of February we resumed our travels 
 through screens of lofty grass, which thinned out into a 
 straggling forest. After about an hour's march, as we 
 entered a small savannah, I saw the fundi running 
 forward and changing the direction of the caravan. 
 Without supposing that he had taken upon himself this 
 responsibility, I followed him. Presently he breasted a 
 steep and stony hill, sparsely clad with thorny trees. 
 Arrived with toil, for our fagged beasts now refused to 
 proceed, we halted for a few minutes upon the summit. 
 *What is that streak of light which lies below?' I 
 inquired of Seedy Bombay. * I am of opinion,' quoth 
 Bombay, ' that that is the water.' I gazed in dismay ; 
 the remains of my blindness, the veil of trees, and a 
 broad ray of sunshine illuminating but one reach of the 
 
BUETON AND SPEKE. 
 
 257 
 
 lake, had shrunk its fair proportions. Somewhat 
 prematurely, I began to lament my folly in having 
 risked life and lost health for so poor a prize, to curse 
 Arab exaggeration, and to propose an immediate return 
 with the view of exploring Nyanza, a northern lake. 
 Advancing, however, a few yards, the whole scene burst 
 upon my view, filling me with admiration, wonder, and 
 delight.'' 
 
 The lake varying considerably in breadth, lies in the 
 lap of the mountains, the outlines broken by bluff 
 headlands and capes, and the whole, at the time these 
 travellers first saw it, deriving an unexpected air of life 
 and movement from numerous fishing canoes sporting 
 on the water, and an open coast sprinkled with villages. 
 
 The fundi alluded to in the passage which has just 
 been quoted was the steward, or laitor, of an Arab who 
 had a residence at Ukaranga, the spot on the border 
 of the lake to which, for his own purposes, he had 
 directed the route of the caravan. His subsequent 
 attempts at imposition were frustrated by the prompti- 
 tude of the travellers, who proceeded at once to Kawell, 
 which may be considered as the port of the Sea of Ujiji 
 — a small ragged place, a little to tlie north of Uka- 
 ranga. Here they sat down to contemplate the object 
 of the expedition, and the means by which it could be 
 accomplished. The lake or sea was before them. 
 Lodged in a tolerably cool and comfortable house, or 
 hut, their first care was to put it into condition for a 
 lengthy residence, by fumigating the floors and walls 
 and preparing the roof against the rainy season ; and 
 the next step was to procure some proper description of 
 craft for navigating the lake. In the former they 
 
258 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 succeeded moderately; but in the latter they altogether 
 failed. They had heard of a river which had its source 
 in the lake, issuing from it towards the north. One 
 Arab declared that he had seen the place, and that, 
 although he had been attacked by many canoes, he had 
 gone far enough to feel the influence of the river 
 draining the lake : and another affirmed that he also 
 had seen the stream. Standing on the margin of the 
 water, tlie adventurers gazed with longing eyes in the 
 direction of the supposed river, and ouly wanted a 
 vessel to carry them over ; but that tliey could not 
 obtain. The case was apparently hopeless on account 
 of the extortions attempted, and the difficulties put in 
 the way by the coast people. It was also reported that 
 the warlike tribes living to the north would not permit 
 any strangers to pass beyond a certain limit even for 
 the purposes of trading. But the travellers would not 
 be discouraged, and resolved to persevere. Since, 
 therefore, they could find no vessel at Kawell, Captain 
 Speke went in a canoe, with a crew of twenty men, to 
 IJkaranga, for the purpose of hiring a dhow from the 
 Arab merchant there, he being the owner of the only 
 sailing craft on the lake large enough for the purposes of 
 the expedition. Twenty-seven days elapsed before he 
 returned. Meanwhile Burton had a weary time of it, 
 watching the daylight come and go, and literally unable 
 to do anythiug. His chief hardship appears to have 
 been the difficulty he experienced in procuring game 
 and butcher's meat ; but as he had an ample supply of 
 fish of various kinds, and abundance of poultry and 
 vegetables, his was not a case of despair. Captain 
 Speke at last returned, but without the dhow. The 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 259 
 
 Arab had detained liim from day to day by means of 
 frivolous excuses, and finally promised to let liim have 
 it at the end of three months. 
 
 At length an arrangement was made with the head 
 man at Kawell, for an exorbitant sum, to provide two 
 canoes, the one sixty feet by four, and the other about 
 two-thirds of that size ; and in these utterly inadequate 
 boats the expedition essayed to navigate the waters of 
 the Sea of Ujiji. Most readers are aware that the canoe 
 is a scooped tree. In such a climate it cracks, and, for 
 want of caulking, becomes so extremely leaky that the 
 process of baling is uninterrupted ; the crew regularly 
 taking it in turn. There are neither masts nor sails ; an 
 iron ring in the stern serves for a rudder, but the 
 steering is really done by the paddle. There are no 
 oars, and the paddle which is substituted for the oar is 
 the perfection of clumsiness. The crew sit on narrow 
 benches, two together in a space hardly large enough 
 for one. There is a clear space in the centre, about 
 six feet long, and there are stored cargo, passengers, 
 cattle, slaves, and provisions. There also the baling is 
 performed ; and the splashing being perpetual, the 
 boat is always wet. CajDtain Burton says : " We had 
 expended upwards of a month — from the 10th April to 
 the 13th May, 1858 — in this voyage, fifteen days out- 
 ward bound, nine at Qvira, and nine in returning. The 
 boating was rather a severe trial. We had no means 
 of resting the back ; the holds of the canoes, besides 
 being knee deep in water, were disgracefully crowded ; 
 they had been appropriated to us and our four servants 
 by Kannena, but by degrees he introduced, in addition 
 to the stores, spars, broken vases, pots and gourds, a 
 
260 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 goat, two or three small boys, one or two sick sailors, 
 the little slave girl, and the large sheep. The canoes 
 were top-heavy with the number of their crew, and the 
 shipping of many seas spoilt our tents, and, besides, 
 wetted our salt and soddened our grain and flour ; the 
 gunpowder w^as damaged, and the guns were honey- 
 combed with rust. Besides the splashing of the paddles 
 and the dashing of the waves, lieavy showers fell almost 
 every day and night, and the intervals were bursts of 
 burning sunshine." 
 
 In such craft these travellers attempted to navigate 
 an inland water which, upon careful investigation and 
 comparison of statements made to them, they believed 
 to be the recipient and absorbent of the entire river 
 system — the whole network of streams, nullahs, and 
 torrents of a very considerable portion of Central Africa. 
 The obstinacy, superstition, and barbarous usages of the 
 boatmen added much to the annoyances connected with 
 this water exploration. From morning till night, the 
 paddling was accompanied by a long monotonous howl, 
 which was responded to by yells and shouts, mixed with 
 the bray and clang of horns, shaums, and tomtoms, 
 blown and banged without a moment's cessation. It 
 was simply impossible in the midst of this uproar to 
 take observations, to estimate the rate of progress, or do 
 anything in furtherance of the scientific purposes of the 
 expedition. The boatmen did what they pleased ; they 
 would stop at places for purposes of their own, but 
 never at the request of their employers ; and the cap- 
 tain had no command over them any more than the 
 Englishmen. From feelings of superstition they would 
 not permit a question to be asked, nor a lead to be hove ; 
 
BURTON AND SPEKE. 
 
 261 
 
 neither would they allow a vessel to be dipped for 
 water in the lake, or ofFal to be thrown overboard, from 
 their fear of crocodiles. 
 
 They at last reached the most southerly station to 
 which merchants had yet been admitted, and, which 
 according to the configuration of the lake, seems to be the 
 termination of the navigation itself. The place is called 
 Uvira. When they came in sight of it the captains of 
 the canoes performed a singular dance on the benches, 
 pirouetting, leaping up and squatting down in solemn 
 silence, while the crews all the while rattled their 
 paddles against the sides of the boat — such being the 
 usual form of salutation to the natives on shore, who, 
 on their part, made deafening noises of many kinds in 
 token of welcome. The Sultan Maruta, the chief of the 
 neighbouring village, invited the strangers to his settle- 
 ment, but they preferred remaining near their canoes, 
 and, pitching their tents upon the sands, prepared for 
 their last labour of exploring the head of the lake, and 
 so completing the wwk of their expedition. 
 
 They received a visit from three stalwart sons of the 
 Sultan, good specimens of the Negroid race to be seen 
 near the lake, with symmetrical heads, regular features, 
 and pleasing countenances. Their well-made limbs and 
 athletic frames of a shining jet black were covered by 
 loose aprons of red and dark striped bai*k-cloth, with 
 many rings of snowy ivory encircling their arms, together 
 with conical ornaments of the tooth of the hippopotamus 
 suspended from their necks. They all declared that 
 the mysterious river was well known to them, and 
 offered to guide the travellers to it ; but asserted that 
 the " Kusisi " enters into thse wateres, and does not 
 
262 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 flow out of them. The guide of the expedition now 
 admitted that he had never before been beyond the 
 present place, and intimated that he did not intend to 
 go. Tliey were thus compelled to abandon their purpose. 
 Similar difficulties prevented all attempt to lay down 
 the northern limits of the lake. The captains and boat- 
 men refused point-blank to proceed, although they had 
 been paid to perform the whole service, and they were 
 reluctantly under the necessity of returning to the point 
 from which they had originally started on their fruitless 
 voyage. " It is characteristic of African travel," observes 
 Burton, " that the explorer may be arrested at the very 
 bourn of his journey, on the very threshold of success, 
 by a single stage, as effectually as if all the waves of 
 the Atlantic or the sands of Arabia lay between." 
 
 The results of the voyage up and down the lake were, 
 in these circumstances, unimportant. Captain Burton 
 found that the shores were muddy and the scenery 
 verdant; and that the inhospitable natives, though 
 surrounded in profusion by all the luxuries of their 
 climate, were sunk in the lowest forms of human de- 
 basement. The lake is estimated to occupy a superficial 
 area of five hundred square miles, its total length being 
 about two hundred and fifty, and its main breadth 
 twenty miles. It has no affluents, and its temperature 
 undergoes but little change. All this, however, requires 
 confirmation, especially on account of the variety of the 
 sources from which the information has been drawn. 
 
 When they arrived at Kizeh, on their homeward 
 route, it was considered advisable that means should be 
 employed to ascertain particulars respecting the countries 
 lying to the north and the south of the route which had 
 
BURTOX AND SPEKE. 
 
 263 
 
 been just traversed, more especially in regard to " a great 
 sea," or lake, of much greater extent than the Tangan- 
 yika Lake, and which, according to the Arab authorities, 
 was some fifteen or sixteen marches to the north. " I 
 saw at once," says Burton, " that the existence of this 
 hitherto unknown basin would explain many discre- 
 pancies promulgated by specukitive geographers, more 
 especially the notable and decej)tiYe differences of 
 distances caused by the confusion of the two waters." 
 Captain Burton's health and strength were not equal to 
 this enterprise, and he remained, therefore, at the head- 
 quarters at Kizeh, while Captain Speke proceeded on 
 the journey. .Thcvissue, in the form of discovery, was 
 of vast importance. 
 
 Many attempts were made to thwart the project. The 
 whole of the porters and others connected with the 
 escort were frightened by the dangers and difficulties 
 of the route ; some shirked and evaded it, and some 
 positively refused to go. But arrangements for the 
 expedition were made at last — an increase of pay 
 having overcome the scruples of a certain number of 
 the porters ; and Captain Speke, with such aid as he 
 could muster, left Kizeh on the 10th of July. He 
 returned on the 25th of August, having in the interval 
 discovered Lake Nyanza, the dimensions of which far 
 exceeded the most sanguine expectations which had 
 been formed respecting it. 
 
264 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SPEKE AND GKANT. 
 
 Captain Speke was the second son of Mr. Speke of 
 Jordeens, Somerset. He was born in 1827, and in his 
 seventeenth year entered the Indian army. Excelling in 
 all manly sports, a botanist, a geologist, and a natural 
 historian, he possessed also in an eminent degree all the 
 qualities of a good soldier. He was hardy, temperate, and 
 enduring, patient of fatigue, a good swordsman, a good 
 shot, and a capital horseman. Under General Gough 
 he made the campaign in the Punjaub, and had his 
 share in the victories of Eamnugger, Sadoslapore, 
 Chillianwallah, and Guzerat, acting with Sir Colin 
 Campbell. His good services on all occasions secured 
 him leave of absence when the war was over. He 
 used his opportunities, thus afforded, in exploring 
 expeditions over the Himalayas and the untrodden 
 wastes of Thibet. 
 
 He had formed the idea of exploring Equatorial 
 Africa as early as 1849. His only object at first was 
 to complete a museum of natural history which he had 
 formed at his father's house, principally from speci- 
 mens which he had collected in the Himalayas and in 
 Thibet. He was obliged to wait for the three years' 
 furlough, granted to Indian officers after ten years' 
 
SPEKE AXD GRANT. 
 
 265 
 
 service, before he could be able to carry his plan into 
 execution ; and then he proposed landing on the east 
 coast of Africa, and to proceed across the African 
 continent, by the Mountains of the Moon, in some 
 point of which chain he expected to find the Nile rising 
 in perpetual snows, as the Ganges rises in the high 
 region of the Himalayas. On the very day, therefore, 
 of the expiring of his ten years, he sailed for Aden. 
 At this time an expedition was being organised for the 
 exploration of Somali Land, under Captain Burton. 
 This country forms a sort of elbow, lying between the 
 equator and the eleventh degree of north latitude, and 
 might be called the eastern horn of Africa. Speke left 
 Aden on the 18th of October, 1854. He and his 
 companions, Burton and Herne, passed over a con- 
 siderable extent of country, but were unable to ac- 
 complish much on account of the savage character of 
 the population. Their principal contribution to the 
 increase of information was in the direction of natural 
 history. They narrowly escaped with their lives ; for 
 although the people, from the character of their 
 country, are generally nomadic and pastoral, they are 
 warlike and bloodthirsty. Speke especially, almost 
 as if by miracle, escaped. He says, " I lost in this 
 unfortunate expedition, which failed from inexperience, 
 about 51 OZ. worth of my own private property, and had 
 nothing to show for it but eleven artilicial holes in my 
 body, inflicted by the spears of the natives." When he 
 arrived at Aden, he was a miserable-looking cripple ; 
 but during his residence there of three weeks, in which 
 every attention was paid him by his friends, his 
 wounds healed so rapidly that he was able to walk 
 
 T 
 
266 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 about before he left. They closed, he says, like the 
 cuts in an india-rubber ball when pricked with a pen- 
 knife, in spite of the unfavourable climate of Aden. 
 He attributes this to the healthy and abstemious life he 
 had previously led. He left Aden on sick certificate, 
 and arrived in England in the early part of June 1855. 
 But as the Crimean war was then at its height, though 
 suffering from partial blindness, he could not resist 
 the call to active service, and obtained an appointment 
 as captain in a regiment of Turks, with whom he 
 remained till the close of the war. 
 
 As for the Somali, they brought on themselves the 
 vengeance of the British Government. A blockade of 
 their coast was established, the condition of the raising 
 of which was the surrender of the authors of the out- 
 rage which had been committed, the chief of whom 
 was Ou Ali, the murderer of Stroyan, one of the explor- 
 ing party. It does not appear, however, according to 
 Speke's narrative, whether the most guilty parties ever 
 suffered their proper punishment. 
 
 The Crimean war being now over. Captain Speke, 
 finding himself without occupation, was planning an 
 excursion, for purposes of natural history, to the 
 Caucasus, and had already made considerable prepara- 
 tions, when he was again invited to join Captain 
 Burton in exploring Africa. This decided him to give 
 up the Caucasian scheme, and to take the first mail to 
 England. Arrived in England, he was introduced to 
 the Royal Geographical Society, and made acquainted 
 with the special objects of the projected expedition. 
 On the walls of the Society's rooms hung a large map 
 of a section of Eastern Africa, about half of which was 
 
SPEKE AND GEANT. 
 
 267 
 
 occupied by a prodigious lake, which it was to be the 
 business of the expedition to find. Speke agreed most 
 willingly ; and he and his companion started on their 
 enterprise, overcoming many preliminary difficulties. 
 
 He says that, more than formerly, he saw Africa, 
 in this expedition, in its true character, visiting places 
 where it has not received the slightest impulse, whether 
 for good or evil, from European civilisation, and where 
 the true curly-headed, flat-nosed, pouch-mouthed Negro 
 is found. In such quarters the district chief is absolute, 
 though guided in some measure by his aged coun- 
 sellors. " If a government could be formed for the 
 Africans, like ours in India, they would be saved ; but 
 at present, and without it, there is very little chance ; 
 for the African neither will keep himself nor be helped 
 by others. As his fathers ever did, so does he. He 
 works his wife, sells his children, enslaves all he can 
 lay hands upon, and, unless when fighting for the 
 property of others, contents himself with drinking, 
 singing, and dancing like a baboon." He is also of opinion 
 that war disorganises the race, and that this disorgani- 
 sation is caused in the first instance by polygamy, 
 inasmuch as it produces a family of half-brothers, who, 
 all aspiring to succeed their father, fight continually 
 with one another, and make it their chief aim to possess 
 slaves and cattle. Slavery is everyvvhere a great cause 
 of indolence ; for the masters become too proud to work, 
 lest they should be mistaken for slaves themselves. 
 Most of the men who become prisoners in war are made 
 slaves, and sold to the Arab merchants for a few yards 
 of common cloth, brass wire, or beads. Slave-holding 
 by the Arabs in Africa is altogether a most peculiar 
 
 T 2 
 
268 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 system ; for if the slaves, who are superior in physical 
 strength and in numbers, knew their power, they could 
 quickly send their masters out of the land ; but instead 
 of seeking to obtain their liberty, they would consider 
 themselves dishonest if they ran away. Having no God 
 to fear, in the Christian sense of the term, these tribes 
 have among them no love of truth, no honour, no 
 honesty, and lying is more common than telling the 
 truth. Speke's knowledge of these people was greatly 
 enlarged by his third journey. 
 
 Having discovered the N'Yanza in July 1858, his 
 third expedition commenced on the 9th of May, 1859, 
 and he went at the instance of the Geographical Society. 
 He was granted, by the Admiralty, a passage in a 
 British screw steamer bound for tbe Cape, and Sir C. 
 Wood requested that he should be forwar ded thence to 
 Zanzibar in one of the slaver cruisers. Captain Grant, 
 the author of * Savage Africa,' and an experienced 
 traveller, was to be his companion. They had been 
 brother officers, and well known to each otlier in India, 
 and had thorough sympathy with each other in their 
 present purpose. . They arrived at the Cape on the 
 4th of July. Sir George Grey was Governor at the 
 time, and he induced the Cape Parliament to advance 4 
 to the expedition the sum of 300Z., for the purpose of 
 buying luggage-mules ; ten volunteers from the Cape 
 Mounted Eifles, moreover, being detached to accompany 
 them. They started for Zanzibar on the 16th of July ; 
 in five days they reached East London ; and proceed- 
 ing northwards, made Delagoa Bay, at which place 
 Captain Speke first became acquainted with the Zulu 
 Kaffres, a race of naked Negroes. At Europ?., a small 
 
SPEKE AND GEANT. 
 
 269 
 
 coralline island, he succeeded in turning three turtles, 
 the average weight of each being three hundred and 
 sixty pounds. On the route to Johanna, after leaving 
 Mozambique, they sighted a slaver, and took her. 
 The slaves were Wahiyow. A few of them were old 
 women, and all the rest were children. In all parts of 
 the vessel, but more especially below, old women, 
 stark-naked, were dying in a horrible atmosphere, while 
 those who had strength for it were pulling up the 
 hatches, and tearing like dogs at the salt-fish which 
 they found below. At Zanzibar Captain Speke waited 
 upon the Sultan, who received him courteously. After 
 a necessary stay for preparations requisite for the 
 journey, and for the procuring of beads, wire, and 
 various cloths, he proceeded to the country of Kamo, 
 called Uzaramo. The people there are strictly agri- 
 culturists ; they have no cows, and but few goats ; they 
 are expert slave-hunters, and procure their clothing 
 and other requisites chiefly by the sale of their victims. 
 In this district they found several Albinos, with 
 greyish-blue eyes and light straw-coloured hair. The 
 track which the expedition followed was along the 
 right bank of the Kingane Valley. The mixed cara- 
 van consisted of over two hundred persons, of whom* 
 one hundred were negro porters. Ten out of thirty-six 
 given by the Sultan of Zanzibar, ran away the first day. 
 Speke's own occupation on the journey was, first in the 
 morning, to map out the country, and take compass 
 bearings along the road. On arrival at the camp, the 
 altitude of the station above the level of the sea was 
 ascertained by boiling a thermometer, and the latitude 
 by the meridian altitude of a star taken with a sextant. 
 
270 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 The rest of the work, besides sketching aud keeping a 
 diary record, consisted in making geological and zoo- 
 logical collections. 
 
 The extortions of the chiefs began at Ikamburu, and 
 they never stopped till the journey was ended. All 
 sorts of means were employed — wheedling, cajolery, 
 threats, and promises were had recourse to, every 
 league of the way, in order to obtain from the English- 
 man his firearms, his knives, his powder, his beads, 
 shells, quinine, drugs, chemicals, cloth, his chronometer, 
 compass, sextant, or mathematical instruments. It 
 was the same everywhere ; to speak of one instance is to 
 tell of many. In one case, as an illustration, we find that 
 " here the chief took a hongo, i.e. a tax of ten yards of 
 merikani (a species of cloth), five yards of kiniki, and ten 
 necklaces of beads. Grain, meat, and pombe beer were 
 sometimes given in return, sometimes promised only, 
 and not given till after days of delay." At the deserted 
 village of Kirengue three of the mule drivers ran away. 
 One of the mules died after eighteen hours' sickness ; 
 and all the remaining animals died in a similar manner. 
 In the flat valley of Makata, the travellers met Mamba, 
 well known to all the caravans as the Great Mamba or 
 Crocodile. He had been the last to leave the Unya- 
 muezi, and, from this fact, had purchased all his stock 
 of ivory at a cheap rate. There was a famine raging 
 through Africa, as is not unfrequently the case, and, 
 with a party, at his own estimate of two thousand 
 souls (a number no doubt greatly exaggerated), he had 
 come from Ugogo to Ngoto, living on the produce of 
 the jungle and by boiling down for a soup occasionally 
 the skin aprons of the porters. The prices of provisions, 
 
SPEKE AND GRANT. 
 
 271 
 
 on account of the scarcity, became exorbitant. At 
 Mhumi, the next station, they were as high as sixteen 
 rations of corn, two yards of cloth ; three fowls, two 
 yards of cloth ; one goat, twenty yards of cloth ; one 
 cow, forty yards of cloth, the cloth being all the 
 common American shirting. The sarsaparilla vine was 
 here abundant, but was uncultivated and found growing 
 as a weed, the natives not being aware of its value. 
 All along this line, the natives live on what nature 
 produces for them, looking out for passing parties 
 worth plundering. At Eubaga ninety-eight porters 
 deserted, and Speke found that half of his property had 
 been stolen, which circumstance was a serious aggra- 
 vation of the difficulty occasioned by the increase of 
 expenses on account of the famine. 
 
 Unyamuezi, or the country of the Moon, is little 
 inferior in size to England. The people have no 
 historical traditions among them. They are the greatest 
 traders in Africa, and are the only people who will 
 leave their own country for gain, and go, as porters, 
 to the coast. Captain Speke, on approaching the 
 confines of the river and the lake, came into contact 
 with the difficulty which he had formerly experienced — 
 the name N'Yanza was given by the natives to both 
 the stream and its fountain, and he could seldom deter- 
 mine whether they meant the one or the other. All 
 of the men mutinied, after crossing Gombe Nullah, 
 for an increase of rations, or ration allowances, and 
 were, with a great amount of trouble, reduced to sub- 
 jection. On the 23rd of April, 1861, the chief Ugali 
 of Unyamuezi came to pay his respects. He was then 
 a fine-looking man, about thirty years of age, and the 
 
272 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 husband of thirty wives. Early in June, the expedition 
 arrived at Kunda, after many difficulties, and found 
 there several Arab merchants who had been in hard- 
 ships equal to their own. These merchants had lost 
 5,000 dollars of beads by the running away of their 
 porters with their loads. By the middle of June, tlie 
 journey had proceeded as far as Uzinga, the chief of 
 which inspected everything, and begged importunately 
 for all that he fancied. He asked for the picture-books, 
 and was greatly delighted with them. He coveted the 
 bull's-eye lanteru, begged for lucifers, and at last he 
 walked himself ojBf with a great swagger, his feet beiug 
 encased in a pair of slippers which he had appropriated 
 Avithout leave. The travellers separated for a short while 
 in August, in order the better to accomplish their 
 purpose, but the result was that Grant was robbed in 
 the jungles near Nyongas, and made to pay hongo or 
 tribute a second time, thougl] his companion had 
 already paid for him. Everywhere the Englishmen 
 had to pay ten times as much as the Arabs. Many of 
 the chiefs with whom they had to deal were confirmed 
 drunkards ; and others of them, more disposed to 
 sobriety, were given to treachery and falsehood. In 
 the Usui country both men and women got drunk at 
 any hour of the day. 
 
 In Karague the explorers met with the friendly king 
 Eumanika. They liked this country the better the 
 farther they went in it. The people were kept in good 
 order, and the village chiefs were civil. The greetings 
 of the king were very cordial. He shook hands with 
 the Englishmen in English style. They presented him 
 with a revolver, which he greatly valued. The wives 
 
SPEKE AND GEANT. 
 
 273 
 
 and daughters of this king were fattened to such an 
 extent that they could not stand upright. One of 
 them could not rise ; and so large were her arms, that 
 between the joints they were almost like pillows. The 
 presents of the expedition were sent to the king on the 
 27th of November, and produced a great sensation. 
 They consisted of one black tin box, one Raglan coat, 
 five yards of scarlet broadcloth, two coils of copper 
 wire, one himdred large blue egg beads, five bundles of 
 best variegated beads, and ttiree bundles of minute beads 
 — pink, blue, and wliite. Eumanika was delighted as 
 if he had been served heir to a fortune — the Raglan 
 coat, in particular, was a marvel, and the scarlet broad- 
 cloth was the finest thing he had ever seen. 
 
 The travellers next penetrated into the Wahuma, or 
 Gallas country. Both the Abyssinians and the Gallas 
 profess a mongrel sort of Christianity. The late 
 reigning king of Abyssinia traced his descent from 
 king David, and the traditions of these kingdoms go 
 back to the scriptural age of the Israelitish ruler. The 
 physical conformation of these races seems plainly 
 to connect them with the Semi-Ham itic stock of 
 Ethiopia. 
 
 Captain Speke, in January 1862, crossed back over 
 the Weranhanje spur to visit the Arabs at Kufro. 
 Here, as an evidence of the capabilities of the climate 
 and the soil, he found good English peas growing. On 
 the 13th of the month, he halted at Kisaho, where all 
 the people were in a constant state of inebriety, drinking 
 pombe (a strong beer) all day and all night. By the 
 1 0th of February, the travellers had arrived at Kibibi. 
 In the night a hyaena came into one of their huts, and 
 
274 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 carried off a goat which was tied to a log between two 
 sleeping men. From the 19th of February till the 7th 
 of J uly they were detained, by various hindrances, with 
 Mtesa, king of Uganda, one of the most plainly declared 
 barbarians whom they had met. He wheedled, and 
 begged, and extorted all sorts of things from them 
 as liongo, and promised wonders in return — promises 
 whicli he never performed. The cruelty of this savage 
 was equal to his rapacity and greed. Ke executed his 
 wives and sisters without remorse for the most trifling 
 offences or for no offence at all, and it was not un- 
 common for him to take upon himself the office of 
 executioner. 
 
 On the 21st of July, Captain Speke reached the Nile. 
 He says : — 
 
 "Here at last I stood on the brink of the Nile; 
 most beautiful was the scene, nothing could surpass it ! 
 It was the very perfection of the kind of effect aimed at 
 in a highly kept park ; with a magnificent stream from 
 six hundred to seven hundred yards wide, dotted with 
 islets and rocks, the former occupied by the fishermen's 
 huts, the latter by many crocodiles basking in the sun, 
 flowing between fine grassy banks, with rich trees and 
 plantations in the background, where herds of the 
 hartebeest could be seen grazing, while the hippo- 
 potami were snorting in the water, and florikin and 
 guinea-fowl rising at our feet." 
 
 They proceeded up the left bank of the Nile, at some 
 distance from the stream, passing through rich jungle 
 and plantain gardens, and reached the Isamba rapids, on 
 the 25th of July. The river is here extremely beautiful. 
 The water runs between deep banks which are_covered 
 
SPEKE AND GRANT. 
 
 275 
 
 with fine grass, soft cloudy acacias, and festoons of lilac 
 convolvuli. On the 28th they arrived at Ripon Falls. 
 All ran at once to see them, although the preceding 
 march had been long and fatiguing. " It was a sight," 
 says Captain Speke, " that attracted one for hours ; the 
 roar of the waters, the thousands of passenger-fish 
 leaping at the falls with all their might, the ^Yasoga 
 and Waganda fishermen coming out in boats and taking 
 post on all the rocks with rod and hook, hippopotami 
 and crocodiles lying sleepily on the water, the ferry at 
 work above the falls, and cattle driven down to drink 
 at the margin of the lake." The Victoria N'Yanza 
 was again before him, and its extent and grandeur 
 were deeply impressive. The Victoria ^s'Yanza is 
 about four hundred miles E.N.E. of Lake Tanganyika, 
 and is believed to be three thousand seven hundred 
 and fifty feet above the sea-level. It is supposed to 
 be about two hundred and fifty miles in length. Its 
 width in the broad and open part is roughly estimated 
 at about eighty-five miles. Circumstances, it is to 
 be regretted, prevented Speke's thorough exploration 
 of this great sheet of water. There are many islands 
 in the lake, at certain parts, but elsewhere it is open, 
 and said to be of great depth. Having satisfied himself 
 respecting the connection of the Nile with the lake, 
 Speke proceeded by the river downwards, from Ripon 
 Falls, that he might further strengthen his convictions, 
 and thus was brought to an end a great, difficult, and 
 successful journey. We can best imderstand its results 
 by carefully considering Captain JSpeke's own words. 
 He says, speaking of this event : — 
 
 " The expedition had now performed its functions. 
 
276 
 
 AFracA. 
 
 I saw that old father Nile without any doubt rises in 
 the Victoria N'Yaiiza, and, as I had foretold, that lake 
 is the great source of the holy river which cradled the 
 first expounder of our religious belief. I mourned, 
 however, when I thought how much time I had lost 
 by the delays in the journey whioh had deprived me 
 of the pleasure of going to look at the north-east corner 
 of the N'Yanza to see what connection there was, by a 
 strait frequently spoken of, between it and the other 
 lake where the Waganda went to get their salt, and 
 from which another river flowed to the north, making 
 * Usoga an island.' But I felt I ought to be content 
 with what I had been spared to accomplish, for I had 
 seen full half of the lake, and had information given 
 me of the other half, by means of which I knew all 
 about the lake as far, at least, as the chief objects 
 of geographical importance were concerned. Let us 
 now sum up the whole and see what it is worth. 
 Comparative information assured me that there was 
 as much water on the eastern side of the lake as there 
 is on the western — if anything rather more. The most 
 remote water, or top head of the Nile, is the southern 
 end of the lake, situated close on the third degree of 
 south latitude, which gives the Nile the surprising 
 length, in direct measurement, rolling over thirty-four 
 desfrees of latitude, of above two thousand three hun- 
 dred miles, or more than one-eleventh of the circum- 
 ference of our globe. Now, from this soutliern point, 
 round by the west, to where the great Nile stream 
 issues, there is only one feeder of any importance, and 
 that is the Kitangiile river; whilst from the southern- 
 most point, round by the east to the strait, there are no 
 
SPEKE AND GRANT. 
 
 277 
 
 rivers at all of any importance; for the travelled 
 Arabs one and all aver, that from the west of the 
 snow-clad Kilimanjaro to the lake where it is cut by 
 the second degree, and also the first degree of south 
 latitude, there are salt lakes and salt plains, and the 
 country is hilly, not unlike Unyamuezi ; but they say 
 there are no great rivers, and the country is so scantily 
 watered, having only occasional runnels and rivulets, 
 that they always have to make long marches in order 
 to find water when they go on their trading journeys : 
 and farther, those Arabs who had crossed the strait 
 on going to Usoga had not crossed any river. There 
 remains to be disposed of the *salt lake,' which I 
 believe is not a salt but a fresh-water lake; and my 
 reasons are that the natives call all lakes salt, if 
 they find salt beds or salt islands in such places. 
 Dr. Krapf, when he obtained a sight of the Kenia 
 Mountains, heard from the natives that there was a 
 salt lake to its northward, and he also heard that a 
 river ran from Kenia towards the Nile. If his in- 
 formation was true on this latter point, then, without 
 doubt, there must exist some connection between this 
 river and the salt lake I have heard of, and this in all 
 probability would also establish a connection between 
 my salt lake and his salt lake, which he heard was 
 called Baringo. In no view that can be taken of it, 
 however, does this unsettled matter touch the estab- 
 lished fact that the head of the Nile is in three degrees 
 south latitude, where, in the year 1858, I discovered 
 the head of the Victoria N'Yanza to be. I now 
 christened the * stones' Kipon Falls, after the noble- 
 man who presided over the Eoyal Geographical Society 
 
278 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 wlien my expedition was got up; and the area of 
 water from which the Nile issued, Napoleon Channel, 
 in token of respect to the French Geographical Society, 
 for the honour they had done me just before leaving 
 England, in presenting me with their gold medal for 
 the discovery of the Victoria N'Yanza. One thing 
 seemed at first perplexing — the volume of water in 
 the Kitaugiile looked as large as that of the Nile ; but 
 then the one was a slow river and the other swift, and 
 on this account I could form no adequate judgment of 
 their relative values." 
 
 The first voyage which the discoverer made on the 
 Nile was in five boats of five planks each, tied together 
 and caulked with mhugu rags. He had with him twelve 
 Wanguana, and a small crew ; and also carried with 
 him goats, dogs, and kit, besides grain and dried meat. 
 His proposed destination was Kamrasi's palace in 
 Unyoro. No one knew how many dajs might be 
 required. The crew were neither expert nor diligent, 
 moreover, in the use of the paddles by which the 
 vessels were to be propelled. The river was at once 
 river and lake — clear in the centre, and fringed 
 generally with tall rush, above which sloped the 
 green banks into land which looked as if it had been 
 cultivated park land. On the 4th of September, 1862, 
 the explorers reached the termination of their voyage, 
 and were invited into the palace at Unyoro. They 
 found it to be one large, dumpy hut, surrounded by 
 many smaller ones, and "the worst royal residence 
 since leaving Uzinza." The guests, though invited to 
 the royal residence, were placed in dirty huts far 
 removed from it; and the king being constantly in- 
 
SPEKE AND GRANT. 
 
 279 
 
 toxicated, it was several clays before they could get 
 their quarters changed. On the 14th Captain Speke 
 had an interview with his majesty, who almost imme- 
 diately asked for a many-bladed knife which his officers 
 had seen in the hands of Captain Grant. On the next 
 day the king again alluded to the knife, and said he 
 did not intend to keep it if it had not been brought 
 for him, but wished merely to look at it and would 
 return it again. Only a few days more, and this 
 barbarian wished to have a chronometer, worth 50?., 
 which was sure to be spoiled in his hands in a single 
 day. As this was the only chronometer Captain Speke 
 had with him, he requested the king to wait till he 
 obtained another. But,'no ; he must have it then and 
 there. Speke placed it on the ground, saying, " The 
 instrument is yours, but I must keep it till another one 
 comes." No," said the king, I must have it now, 
 and I will send it to you three times a day that you 
 may look at it." The watch went, gold chain and all. 
 
 The horrid monster then asked Speke if he could 
 make up another " magic horse," as he called the chro- 
 nometer, for he hoped that by this piece of extortion he 
 had deprived the explorers of the power of travelling, 
 and plumed himself on the notion that the glory of 
 opening the road would now devolve upon himself 
 When he was told that it would take five hundred cows 
 to purchase another, the whole court was more con- 
 firmed than ever in their belief in its magical power; 
 for who in his senses would give five hundred cows 
 " for the mere gratification of seeing at what time his 
 dinner should be eaten ? " 
 
 At Unyoro there is a curious custom in regard to 
 
280 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 twins. A My ore who bore twins that died kept two 
 small pots in her house as effigies of the children, and 
 into these she milked herself every evening for five 
 months, fulfilling the usual time for suckling, lest the 
 spirits of the dead should haunt her. Twins are not 
 buried, like ordinary people, under the ground, but are 
 placed in an earthenware pot, such as the Wauyoro use 
 for holding pombe. 
 
 Sailing down the Ivafu in a canoe, the travellers 
 found themselves on what at fiist appeared a long lake, 
 averaging from two hundred at first to one thousand 
 yards in breadth. This was the Nile again, navigable 
 in this way from Urondogani. Both sides of the 
 stream were fringed with the huge papyrus rush. The 
 left one was low and swampy ; while the otlier rose in 
 a gently sloping bank, covered with trees and beautiful 
 festoons of convolvuli. There were also floating islands, 
 continually in motion, with a growth upon them of 
 rush, grass, and ferns. These islands were slowly 
 working their way downwards, the fact proving that 
 the river was in full flood. 
 
 Passing through Madi, Speke had tidings of Petherick, 
 and proceeded onwards till the 8th of December, at 
 which date he could see the hills he had first viewed 
 at Cliope. On that occasion he had believed the Nile 
 to be at no great distance, but no one would support 
 him in his conjecture, all contending that it was fifteen 
 marches off, and could not be visited in less than a 
 month. He now proved that it was only two marches 
 to the northward of Faloro. On the 13th of January, 
 1863, the explorers arrived at Paira, a collection of 
 villages within sight of the Nile. They were accom- 
 
SPEKE AND GRANT. 
 
 281 
 
 panied by Mahomined, a Turkish ivory dealer, and his 
 caravan. On the 15th of February, Spoke reached 
 Gondokoro, where he met his old friend Baker, ^yho 
 told him that he had come up with three vessels fully 
 equipped with armed men, camels, horses, donkeys, 
 beads, brass wire, and everything necessary for a long 
 journey, expressly in aid of the explorers. Three 
 Dutch ladies — the Baroness A. van Capelleo, and 
 Mrs. and Miss Tinne — had also come as far as Gondo- 
 koro, but were driven back to Khartum by sickness. 
 Petherick had waited while a vessel was being built 
 until the season was too far advanced. At Gondokoro 
 Speke saw the Kev. Mr. Moorlan, and two other priests 
 of the Austrian mission at Kich. These were now 
 recalled ; for out of twenty missionaries who during the 
 previous thirteen years had ascended the White Kiver 
 for the purpose of propagating the Gospel, thirteen had 
 died of fever, two of dysentery, and two had returned 
 in broken health ; yet not one convert had been 
 made by them. In a few days afterwards Petherick 
 arrived. 
 
 After an exploration of twenty-eight months, Captain 
 Speke arrived at Alexandria. He closes his journal 
 with a few useful explanations, comparing the various 
 branches of the Nile with its affluents. He says : — 
 
 " The first affluent, the Bahr el-Ghazal, took us by 
 surprise ; for instead of finding a huge lake, as described 
 in our maps, at an elbow of the Nile, we found only a 
 small piece of water resembling a duck-pond, buried in 
 a sea of rushes. The okl Nile swept through it with 
 majestic grace, and carried us next to the Geraflfe 
 branch of the Sobat Eiver, the second affluent, which 
 
 u 
 
282 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 we found flowing into tlie Nile with a graceful semi- 
 circular sweep and good stiff current, apparently deep, 
 but not more than fifty yards broad. 
 
 " Next in order came the main stream of the Sobat, 
 flowing into the Nile in the same graceful way as the 
 Geraffe, which in breadth it surpassed, but in velocity 
 of current was inferior. The Nile by these additions 
 was greatly increased; still it did not assume that 
 noble appearance whicli astonished us so much, imme- 
 diately after the rainy season, when we were navigating 
 it in canoes in Unyoro. 
 
 '•Next to be treated of is the famous Blue Nile, 
 which we found a miserable river, even when compared 
 with the Geraffe branch of the Sobat. It is very broad 
 at the mouth, it is true, but so shallow that our vessel 
 with difficulty was able to come up it. It had all the 
 appearance of a mountain stream, subject to great 
 periodical fluctuations. I was never more disappointed 
 than with this river. If tlie White Kiver was cut off 
 from it, its waters would all be absorbed before they 
 could reach Lower Egypt. 
 
 " The Atbara Kiver, which is the last affluent, was 
 more like the Blue Eiver than any of the other affluents, 
 being decidedly a mountain stream, which floods in the 
 rains, but runs nearly dry in the dry season. 
 
 " I had now seen quite enough to satisfy myself that 
 the White Kiver, which issues from the N'Yanza at 
 the Kipon Falls, is the true or parent Nile ; for in every 
 instance of its brancbiug, it carried the palm with it in 
 the distinctest manner, viewed, as all the streams were 
 by me, in the dry season, which is the best time for 
 estimating their relative perennial values. 
 
SPEKE AND GRANT. 
 
 283 
 
 " 8ince returning to England, Dr. Murie, who was 
 with me at Gondokoro, has also come home ; and he, 
 judging from my account of the way in which we got 
 ahead, of the flooding of the Nile between the Karuma 
 Falls and Gondokoro, is of opinion that the Little 
 Luta N'Zige must be a great backwater to the Nile, 
 which the waters of the Nile must have been occupied 
 in filling during my residence in Madi ; and then about 
 the same time that I set out from Madi, the Little 
 Luta N'Zige, having been overcharged with water, the 
 surplus began its march northwards, just about the 
 same time when we started in the same direction. 
 For myself, I believe in this opinion, as he no sooner 
 asked me how 1 could account for the phenomenon I 
 have already mentioned of the river appearing to 
 decrease in bulk as we descended it, than I instinc- 
 tively advanced his own theory. Moreover, the same 
 hypothesis will answer for the sluggish flooding of the 
 Nile down to Egypt." 
 
 During this eight-and-twenty months' tour there must, 
 no doubt, have been much enjoyment to such minds as 
 Speke's and Grant's, and the pleasure must have been 
 enhanced by the companionship, for the two travellers 
 were of congenial and sympathetic tastes, and moreover 
 were fast and long-tried friends. The opportunity of 
 roving through woods, jungles, and ravines; of view- 
 ing lakes, animals, and scenery, altogether new, — is an 
 excitement which, in part at least, compensates for the 
 perpetual fatigue, the anxiety, and the danger to limb 
 and life. But he who travels in Africa, travels with 
 his life in his hand. He may be deprived of it at any 
 time in an ambuscade by treachery, stealthily, or in 
 
 u 2 
 
284 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 open fight, or he may lose it by an accident, or by 
 becoming the prey of wild beasts. The people are a 
 strange and sayage people, and few of their chiefs or 
 rulers are to be trusted. A man who travels in Africa 
 has need of a fearless heart, a firm will, a constitution 
 of iron, and an even and imperturbable temper. Though 
 frequently opposed by the most pettifogging and 
 quibbling obstacles on the part of the kings or chiefs, 
 and sometimes by his own porters and servants, 8peke 
 went resolutely on, and finally accomplished the mission 
 which he had undertaken. 
 
 Captain Speke, on his return to England, was hailed 
 with high honour. He and Grant were received by 
 the Koyal Geographical Society with a most cordial 
 welcome. Sir E. Murchison, in presenting them to 
 that body, over which he presided, spoke in enthusiastic 
 terms of the important results of their expedition. 
 The medal of the Society was awarded to the dis- 
 coverers, and Her Majesty the Queen congratulated 
 the Society on the success which had attended an 
 enterprise, aided, in part, by Government funds. The 
 King of Italy also forwarded gold medals to the ex- 
 plorers, and Lord Palmerston, in the House of Com- 
 mons, added his tribute to the discoverer of the source 
 of the Nile. The deaths of great discoverers, however, 
 any more than the deaths of other great men, are 
 not always proportioned to their lives. Hannibal, as 
 Juvenal tells us, did not perish by a javelin or a sword, 
 while Bruce died by a fall down-stairs, and Mungo 
 Park was miserably drowned. In the midst of fresh 
 encomiums in his own native Somerset, Captain Speke 
 went out for a day's field sport, and accidentally shot 
 
nimseii on tne zist oi oeptemDer, ibo^, not long atter 
 having published his Journals. But death, whether 
 slowly by " pale decay," or suddenly, or by accident, 
 can only destroy the " tenement of clay." The nobler 
 achievements, the good and the great deeds, and the 
 discoveries of men, survive the body, and live on in their 
 results. Thus, though Speke did not live to receive all 
 the reward to which he was entitled, great honour will 
 ever be attached to his name, and in all coming time 
 he will be known as the discoverer of the Sources of 
 the Nile. Such at least was his own belief, although 
 even now other explorers are seeking another fountain- 
 head. In any event, he honourably led the way. 
 
286 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 
 
 On Speke's arrival at Crondokoro, the first Englishman 
 he met was his friend Mr. S. W. Baker. Like Speke, 
 Baker had been a great sportsman, and again, like his 
 friend, he was also a man of noble ambition. He was 
 accustomed to delight in danger, and was the very 
 man to undertake a hazardous adventure. Speke had 
 left Zanzibar in September 1860 ; in April 1861, six 
 months afterwards, Baker organised a large and costly 
 expedition of his own, and departed from Cairo, to 
 meet Speke if he might — if he had been successful to 
 return ; if he was dead, to ascertain his fate ; if he had 
 in part only accomplished his purpose, to complete, 
 if possible, his discoveries. He was aware of the evils 
 sometimes resulting from divided counsels, and he 
 therefore determined that there should be no one to 
 consult, and furnished the expedition entirely at his 
 own cost, being amenable to no one if it should fail, 
 and not disposed to share the credit with another if it 
 should succeed. His arrangements were admirable ; he 
 provided everything but honest men, and these were 
 beyond his reach. He was accompanied by his wife, 
 who willingly and nobly went with him into regions 
 far beyond the bounds of civilisation. She was very 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 287 
 
 young, but possessed of a courage greater than that of 
 most men, had a clear head, and a quick and decided 
 will, which in cases of sudden emergency could rapidly 
 declare itself in action. The part taken by this lady 
 ill the work of the expedition is much to her credit and 
 praise. 
 
 'Not to be at the mercy of his interpreter, Baker 
 made himself master of the Arabic language. For this 
 purpose he went to Abyssinia, and spent a whole year 
 in examining the Atbara and the Blue I^ile, the two 
 great affluents of the White Mle, which tributaries, 
 though the former is perfectly dry for months, and the 
 latter also for part of the year quite insignificant, pour 
 such vast volumes of water into the main stream in 
 June, when it is at a considerable level, that they 
 cause the annual inundation in Lower Egypt. Thus 
 spending a whole year, and returning to Khartum in 
 June 1862, he began to prosecute his White Nile 
 scheme. Here his difficulties were very numerous. 
 All parties were utterly hostile to him, as a spy who 
 would pry into the iniquitous dealings of the White 
 Nile slave-hunters. But in spite of incredible difficul- 
 ties, he- collected ninety-six followers, of at least dubious 
 character, at Khartum. Making preparations on the 
 largest scale, not only for his own party, but for the 
 relief of Speke's, and putting them into three Nile 
 boats, he sailed from Khartum to Gondokoro, up the 
 White Nile. He was opposed in every way up to the 
 very last, and his final act at Khartum was what he 
 calls a " physical explanation " with the Eeis of the 
 Government boat, which ran into him at starting. 
 He must have given this man a sound beating, 
 
288 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 for he made him replace the oars which he had 
 broken. 
 
 He took with him twenty-one donkeys, four camels, 
 and four horses, that he might be less dependent upon 
 native porters, who are so hard to obtain without the 
 assistance of the ivory slave-dealers. He had per- 
 sonally made every sort of preparation with regard to 
 pack-saddles and general equipage, so that when he 
 arrived at Gondokoro, after a voyage up the flat reedy 
 part of the White Nile of about six weeks, his animals 
 were all in good condition. He remained here from the 
 3rd of February till the 20th of March, distrusted and 
 treated as a spy. One of the slave-traders at Gondokoro 
 was a Copt, the father of the American Consul at Khar- 
 tum, and these brigands arrived at Gondokoro with the 
 stars and stripes flying at their mast-head. There are 
 Consuls at Khartum for France, Austria, and America, 
 and British interests are cared for in and about these 
 parts by Mr. Petherick. Austria has no end to gain 
 by means of her mission, except a religious one, and its 
 existence is greatly to her credit. But her eflbrts 
 have been altogether without results, except in the 
 martyrdom, by disease, of fifteen or sixteen noble 
 and devoted priests. 
 
 When Baker met with Speke and Grant at Gondo- 
 koro, the happy greetings over, Speke told all he had 
 done, and all he had been compelled to leave undone. 
 He had found a noble river, which he believed to be 
 the Great White Nile itself, issuing I'rom the north 
 end of the Victoria N'Yanza, pouring over the Eipon 
 Falls, which he had explored for fifty miles to the 
 north-west; that he knew this river again when he 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 289 
 
 came upon it sixty or more miles lower down ; that he 
 had traced it past Kamrasi's capital at M'rooli for fifty 
 miles, as far as the Karuma Falls, but had been obliged 
 to leave it there, on account of a war by the tribes 
 against Kararasi; he knew that after this the Nile 
 went into the Luta N'Zige (Dead Locust Lake), and 
 immediately emerged. The verification of the river 
 from the Karuma Falls to the Little Lake," and the 
 examination of that lake, was what remained to be 
 accomplished by Baker. He has accomplished his 
 task, and the " Little Luta N'Zige" is the " Little " no 
 more. Undoubtedly it is one of the largest bodies 
 of fresh water in the world, and it is not improbably 
 the largest. 
 
 Gondokoro is so corrupted and debased by the 
 slave-trade that Mr. Baker describes it as a " hell upon 
 earth." When he was about to leave it on his journey, 
 he found that there were there two slave ivory parties, 
 who were going south — the one of them was headed by 
 Mahommed, commander-in-chief of Debono, the man 
 who had first brought back Speke from Faloro ; the 
 other by Ibrahim, commander-in-chief of Koorshid 
 Aga. These men, of whom and of whose subordinates 
 we have thus spoken, were both extensive merchants and 
 slave-traders. These parties Mr. Baker had a desire to 
 accompany ; but they were jealous of each other, and 
 for a time were in bitter contention. But from infor- 
 mation which he had received, Mahommed and his 
 party marched off to engage in a war which was in 
 progress, and thus Ibrahim and his party were left to 
 proceed alone. But they were strongly averse to 
 Baker's expedition, from the fear that he might spy 
 
290 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 out and report the wickedness of their proceedings. 
 They accordingly threatened to fire on him and his 
 men if he dared to follow them. The circumstances 
 were desperate and discouraging ; but by threats and 
 persuasions, the traveller prevailed on seventeen of the 
 men whom he had previously enlisted at great expense, 
 to proceed with him. They were the worst of the lot, 
 and he was perfectly aware that they intended to 
 murder and desert him ; but he was prepared, as he 
 thouglit, for the emergency. When, therefore, Ibrahim, 
 the Arab-Turk, started on his raid, Mr. Baker started 
 also, with the design of outmarching him, arriving 
 first at the village of Ellyria, and buying the good-will 
 of the natives by kindness and presents before Ibrahim 
 should have time to poison the minds of the people 
 against him and render further progress through the 
 mountain passes imjDOSsible with a party so small as his, 
 in tlie face of a suspicious community. The scheme 
 was good enough, but it failed. Thieves generally travel 
 light. Ibrahim had but little to carry. He meant to 
 steal cattle from one tribe and exchange them for 
 ivory and slaves with another. Mr. Baker intended to 
 pay his way like an Euglish gentleman, and therefore, 
 while he was toiling on with his goods and heavy-laden 
 camels, the thief won the race, and was first at Ellyria. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Baker, in advance of their party, had 
 dismounted from their horses, and were talking together 
 under a tree, close to the vilhige, when they heard the 
 approach of a party which they supposed to be their 
 own ; but it was that of the Turks, who defiled past 
 them without salaaming, and with an expression of con- 
 tempt upon their countenances. The last man of the long 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 291 
 
 cavalcade was Ibrahim himself. Baker sat there, 
 looking at that beautiful cruel Arab-Turk face, with 
 the wicked dark eyes, which would not catch his own. 
 The opportunity was being quickly lost. Mrs. Baker 
 urged her husband to speak, but he would not, and she 
 spoke herself; he was already almost beyond earshot," 
 when she called Ibrahim by name. The ice was 
 broken ; and a louder challenge from Mr. Baker brought 
 the man to their side. They were friends. The lady's 
 voice had brought these two antagonistic spirits into 
 amicable intercourse, and so had saved the expedition. 
 Not that there was much show of affection at first. 
 Baker told Ibrahim that if anything happened to him 
 (Baker), he (Ibrahim) was sure to be hung, and Mrs. 
 Baker followed in a milder strain. They concluded a 
 truce, Baker promising ivory and Ibrahim pledging 
 friendship, but warning the Englishman not to come 
 near his men for the present. From this moment 
 Ibrahim was at Mr. Baker's call. The influence of the 
 stronger mind over the weaker was gradual in its 
 growth, but that growth was sure and steady. In the 
 end it was almost absolute. 
 
 Another great dilBQculty soon occurred. Ibrahim had 
 a little girl with him, and Mrs. Baker had so won upon 
 him by her kindness to his child, that he confided to 
 the travellers the information that their men intended 
 to desert them when they came to Latome. Accordingly, 
 when they reached that village, they found that their 
 men were already mixed with those of Mahommed, who 
 was there. Baker therefore determined that he should 
 not remain, but would start next day with Ibrahim. It 
 was a riotous, anxious night. At half-past five in the 
 
292 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 morning Ibraliim's party beat drum and prepared to 
 start, and Mr. Baker gave orders to rise and follow: 
 but not a man moved ; on repeating the order, a few 
 rose and rested on their guns. The arch-rebel, Bellaal, 
 Avas standing near Mr. Baker, leaning on liis gun, and 
 eyeing hira with the most determined insolence. Baker 
 pretended not to notice him, and gave the order the 
 third time. The man marched straight up to him, and, 
 striking his gun on the ground, declared that " not a 
 man should move," and refused to load the camels. For 
 reply, Mr. Baker struck him a blow on the jaw, which 
 sent the miscreant's gun flying into the air, while the 
 offender himself staggered and fell insensible. Bushing 
 in, single-handed, among the others, he seized some of 
 them by the throat, and brought them one by one to 
 the camels. The Yakeel, head-man of the party, who 
 had thought it as well to be accidentally absent, now 
 appeared, and things were righted once more. 
 
 The country along A\hich they now passed was most 
 beautiful. Jungles and trees alternated with plains, 
 and mountains rose all around them to the height of 
 from 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Their own party having been 
 brought into subjection, the two travellers by themselves 
 hastened to overtake Ibrahim. As they approached a 
 village, one of the native porters in Ibrahim's caravan 
 threw down his load and ran. Be would certainly 
 have been shot if Baker had not at once rode after him 
 and kept between the guns and the runaway, thus 
 running the risk of the latter's turning upon him and 
 killing him with his spear. But the poor fellow threw 
 away his spear, while he quickened his speed. At length 
 Baker closed upon him and made signs for him to 
 
SIK SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 
 
 293 
 
 catch his horse's mane, which in his terror he did, and 
 returned to the party. Baker claimed him as his 
 property, that he might protect him, and would not 
 allow the Turks either to shoot him or flog him, and, 
 going to Ibrahim, procured his pardon, thus gaining 
 the admiration of the Turks for his gallantry, and the 
 love of the natives for his humanity. When his own 
 party came up, he found that three men, including Bel- 
 laal, had deserted and joined Mahommed. ^'Inshallah," 
 he exclaimed, " the vultures shall pick their bones ! " 
 The words produced a great effect at the time, on those 
 who heard them ; and a still deeper one when they 
 were afterwards terribly fulfilled. 
 
 Their next stoppage was at Tarrangolle, the chief 
 town of Latooka. The people were the finest he had 
 seen in the neighbourhood of the White Nile. They 
 are nearly six feet high, with fine foreheads, good 
 features, and handsome bodies. In manners, they are 
 frank, naive, good-humoured, and jDolite ; and are thus 
 in utter contrast with the tribes which surround them. 
 They seem to be of a Galla or Abyssinian-Asiatic origin. 
 Their head-dress is very remarkable — their coifture 
 taking from eight to ten years to bring it to perfection. 
 The hair is at first " felted " with fine twine ; as the 
 fresh hair grows through this, the twine process is 
 repeated, until at last a compact substance is formed, an 
 inch and a half thick, trained into the form of a helmet, 
 with a frontlet and crest of copper. Of course, they 
 never disturb this, and it lasts them their lifetime. 
 They ornament it with beads, cowries, ostrich feathers, 
 and other decorations, but have not a particle of 
 clothing of any kind upon their bodies. 
 
294 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 Tarrangolle (120 miles N.E. of Debono's station at 
 Faloro, where Speke met Maliommed) contains about 
 3,000 houses. It is strongly fortified by palisades, with 
 low entrances at intervals, these being closed at night 
 with thorn bushes. The main street is broad, but all 
 the others are so narrow as to admit only one cow at a 
 time. These narrow lanes lead to the kraals in various 
 parts of the town in which the cattle, their only wealth, 
 are housed; and, in consequence of the narrowness of 
 the approaches, they are easily defended, a matter of 
 moment in a country where cattle-stealing is prevalent. 
 The houses for the people are of conical shape, and, as 
 is almost universally the case in Africa, are without 
 windows. On approaching every town since Latome, it 
 had been observed that, near it, was invariably a vast 
 heap of human remains, mixed with fragments of 
 pottery. These have their origin in the peculiar funeral 
 rites of the people. When a man dies a natural death, 
 he is buried close to his own door, and there are funeral 
 dances in his honour for several weeks ; at the end of 
 that time they dig him up, and, having cleaned the 
 bones, put them in an earthen jar and carry them out 
 of the town — and there they remain. 
 
 At this town Baker pitched his tent, and remained 
 for some time. The traveller won the confidence of the 
 king by his presents, and his majesty was extremely 
 friendly. The men in this district have just as many 
 wives as they can keep, and there is no other restriction. 
 But their domestic affections are weak. They will not 
 fio^ht for their wives and children, but will for their 
 cattle. An illustration of this fact was given not long 
 after the arrival of the party. Ibrahim and his men 
 
Sm SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 295 
 
 had reconnoitred a village in the hills, with a view to 
 attacking it, and seizing its inhabitants for slaves ; but 
 they found it too strong for them. It was reported in 
 a few days that the party of Mahommed had attacked 
 it and utterly destroyed it. He had sent against it one 
 hundred and ten armed men and three hundred natives, 
 and they had burnt it and carried off a great number of 
 slaves. They were in safe retreat when a native promised 
 to guide them to the cattle kraals, and they returned. But 
 now that their beasts were in danger, the Latookas, who 
 had allowed their wiyes and children to be led away to 
 slavery, turned upon the aggressors, and with one fierce 
 charge routed them, and drove them down the glen. 
 Behind every rock there was an armed man, stones were 
 showered on the attacking party, retreat became flight, 
 until, mistaking their way, they came to a precipice 
 five hundred feet high, over which they were driven by 
 the Latookas to their utter destruction. Mahommed 
 himself had not been with the party; and Bellaal, the 
 deserter from Mr. Baker, had, luckily for him, not yet 
 recovered from the effects of his former master's blow, 
 and so had remained in camp ; but several of the other 
 fugitives had perished with their new comrades. 
 " Where," demanded Baker, " are the men who deserted 
 from me ? " In reply there were brought to him two 
 of his own guns, stained with blood, which had been 
 picked up on the scene of the fight. Observing the 
 numbers on the guns, he repeated aloud the names of 
 the dead men who had carried them, and added, " All 
 dead ! Food for vultures ! " His influence after this 
 was almost unbounded. The poor superstitious men 
 believed that he had caused the disaster, and when he 
 
 I 
 
296 AFEICA. 
 
 was casually going through the camp would quietly say, 
 " My God-master," to which he would reply, " There is 
 a God." 
 
 But while Baker was gaining influence among the 
 Turks, both of his own party and that of Ibrahim, the 
 whole body of Turks had completely lost prestige 
 among the Latookas in consequence of the defeat of 
 Mahommed. This was to be regretted, inasmuch as it 
 had become necessary for Ibrahim to return to Gondo- 
 koro with a very large detachment, for the purpose of 
 obtaining ammunition. There were but thirty-five men 
 of his party left behind. These were cantoned among 
 the natives, being entirely at their mercy, and yet they 
 treated their hosts with stupid brutality. It was not 
 possible that such a state of things could continue. 
 Baker saw this very plainly, and his suspicions that 
 an attack was meditated were soon confirmed by the 
 removal from the town of all the women and children. 
 He sent at once for Commoro, the more influential of 
 the two chiefs of the Latookas, and desired to be 
 informed of his intentions. The chief described very 
 fairly the state of exasperation into which his people 
 had been worked, and stated the great difficulty there 
 would be in preventing an attack, in which case Baker's 
 innocent party would be confounded with Ibrahim's 
 ruffians. At nine o'clock, the deadly stillness of the 
 tropical night was broken by three loud booms from 
 the great war-drum of the Latookas, and the call to 
 war was answered from every point of the compass. 
 The country was aroused. But the Latookas had to 
 deal with a vigilant foe. The first sounds of the 
 African drum had scarcely died away, ere they were 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 297 
 
 answered by a furious and defiant rattle from that of 
 the Turks. In less than five minutes the two parties 
 had amalgamated under the leadership of Mr. Baker, 
 while Mrs. Baker, to whose share fell the ordering of 
 the magazine, had her hundreds of rounds of cartridges 
 laid in order, and her boxes of percussion-caps open. 
 Mr. Baker's quarters were in the very stronghold 
 which the natives had constructed for the defence 
 of the town, and therefore he was not by any means 
 anxious as to the result. But the natives, finding the 
 parties prepared, did not attack, and, after three hours of 
 drumming and counter-drumming, Commoro appeared, 
 and all ended without bloodshed, — Mr. Baker threaten- 
 ing to burn the place over the people's heads if they 
 beat their note of war again. 
 
 Quiet having been thus established. Baker by and 
 by moved out of the town and entrenched himself on 
 the plains. As his detention here was likely to be for 
 some time, he made preparations for relieving its 
 w^earisomeness by the help of a garden. He was 
 here many months, and spent his time in observing 
 the manners of the people, and in writing down his 
 opinions about them, those opinions being very un- 
 favourable. A change came to him on the 2nd of 
 May, 1863, at which date he started on a visit to 
 a friendly tribe at a place called Obbo, the people 
 of which had sent him presents and encouraged 
 intercourse. 
 
 The journey was south-west. Crossing the valley 
 of Latooka, the party arrived at the first ridge ; and 
 having succeeded in getting across all their donkeys 
 except one, they forded the Kiver Kanieti, and, after 
 
 X 
 
298 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 sleeping out in a soaking rain, began tlie main ascent 
 of the mountains, which they found to be extremely 
 difficult. At the summit, they found themselves on a 
 plateau about four thousand feet above the level of the 
 sea, and there they found the highland town of Obbo. 
 The country was very beautiful. Bold granite peaks, 
 five thousand feet in height, towered on all sides above 
 the wooded valleys, which were narrowed by the 
 advancing spurs of the mountains, each of which had 
 its village crowning its summit, one thousand eight 
 hundred feet above the heads of the travellers. The 
 pure air was delicious; and there was a profusion of 
 beautiful and sweet-scented flowers all around. Wild 
 plums and custard apples were ready to be gathered 
 and eaten ; and grape-vines, with the fruit not yet ripe, 
 festooned the trees. The flow of the streams was to 
 the north-west, and directly into the Nile, which was 
 about thirty miles distant. 
 
 The people are different in language and appearance 
 from those of Latooka. They dress their hair in the 
 form of a beaver's tail, and not in the helmet form of 
 the others. Their noses are higher, and they wear 
 some small amount of clothing, although even with 
 them the covering is very scanty. They are courteous 
 in their manners, and never ask for presents. They 
 are ruled by a sorcerer, who is a most peculiar old man, 
 and from whom the travellers obtained much informa- 
 tion about the country. He has a diflerent seraglio at 
 every village, in order that his wives should not quarrel, 
 and boasts of one hundred and sixteen children living. 
 Learning that to the south there was a great river which 
 for many months in the year could not be crossed, 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 
 
 299 
 
 Mr. Baker resolved to visit it, and left his wife with eight 
 men at Obbo, he himself starting south with three. 
 
 Proceeding through a country of great beauty, 
 parallel with the Madi Mountains, whose summits 
 are eight thousand feet, he particularly observed the 
 beauty of the orchis, and the immense number of 
 elephants, in an attack by one of which he lost his 
 horse, and nearly lost his life. He soon reached a fine 
 perennial stream, the Atabbi, a tributary of the Asua, 
 the river which he had come to see. This was so full 
 that his horse had to swim a part of it. He here saw 
 a herd of two hundred elephants, and killed a harte- 
 beest. He arrived the next day at the village of 
 Shoggo, thirty-five miles from Obbo, and the people 
 received him kindly. The chief confirmed the accounts 
 which had formerly been given him respecting the 
 Asua — it was a roaring torrent which it was impossible 
 to cross till the rainy season was over. He therefore 
 returned to Obbo, satisfied with the exploration which 
 he had made, and resolving on the exercise of patience 
 in connection with future and further travel in the 
 same direction. He found that Mrs. Baker had been 
 well cared for by the old sorcerer, and having rewarded 
 him, and left in his charge two hundred weight of 
 ammunition, he retraced his steps to his depot at 
 Latooka, to await there the cessation of the rains, 
 which, where he had been, had been excessive. But 
 on his arrival he found that there had been little or no 
 rain. As yet, the greater part of it had fallen among 
 the mountains where he had been rambling, and where, 
 previous to his excursion, he had seen the play of the 
 thunderstorms every day. 
 
 X 2 
 
300 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 After their return to Latooka, Mrs. Baker was attacked 
 with gastric fever; he himself was prostrated with ague; 
 and small-pox was prevalent among the slave-hunting 
 Turks. Bat, keeping the parties separate, he managed 
 to prevent his own men from catching the infection. 
 One of his best horses died ; and we may remark 
 here that he had lost every beast of burden he had — 
 horse, donkey, or camel — long before his object was 
 accomplished. 
 
 He was constantly endeavouring, at this time, to 
 form definite conceptions of the great water of which 
 he w^as in search. The Bari interpreter had told him 
 of a place — Magungo — which was on a great river, and 
 he had concluded that that must be the Asua, the river 
 to the southward which he was waiting to cross. But 
 now in talking with Wani, another interpreter, he 
 found him using the word "bahr" (river or sea) 
 instead of birke " (lake). Magungo, then, was situated 
 on a lake so large that no one knew its limits. Two 
 days east and two days west from Magungo no land is 
 visible, while to the south its direction is utterly 
 unknown. Large vessels on which white men have 
 been seen, arrive at Magungo, bringing cowrie shells. 
 From this information it was evident that the " Little 
 Lake " of Speke was a much more important lake than 
 had yet been conceived. Magungo must therefore be 
 found and visited, through the country of Kamrasi, 
 Speke's acquaintance. 
 
 If his men had not behaved badly, he would have 
 been able to push forward before the rainy season 
 began ; but he was hopelessly detained at Tarrangolle, 
 and, moreover, the country was becoming hostile to 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 301 
 
 their presence. The traders are so lordly and brutal 
 towards the natives, that the deepest hatred of them is 
 generated in the minds of the people ; and yet, in their 
 mistake and weakness, they do not think of combining 
 to drive out the common enemy. They rather help 
 him in his attacks on individual tribes, in order that 
 they themselves may be safer from the harm which 
 such tribes might inflict upon them some future day. 
 Finding, from the prevalent feeling of the native 
 community, that they could no longer remain at Tar- 
 rangoll^, Ibrahim and his party determined on moving 
 to Obbo. This was a great annoyance to Baker ; but 
 hesitation was impossible, and delay equally so. An 
 attack was expected from the exasperated natives 
 daily, and it was impossible to get on in any way 
 without the companionship of the traders. But the 
 rainy season was at its height, and Mrs. Baker was 
 very ill and unfit to move. A palanquin was therefore 
 contrived for her, into which she was assisted, and they 
 departed. His carrying powers were now reduced to 
 fourteen donkeys and one horse ; the donkeys being all 
 in a very bad state, with sores on their backs which 
 the birds kept continually raw. He had to hire forty 
 porters. They went round the mountain on this occasion, 
 and after six days' miserable march in pouring rain, 
 with fearful thunderstorms, they reached Obbo, and 
 found their old friend Katchiba — the sorcerer-chief — 
 "the best man," says Baker, "I ever met in Africa." 
 
 He remained for the next few months at Obbo, and 
 his position was not enviable. The Turks had utterly 
 ruined the country, exactly in his line of march, and 
 this he knew would make it difficult for him in regard 
 
302 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 to the feeling of the population. His last horse died, 
 and one by one all his asses, so that he was left without 
 one single beast of burden. To crown all, he and his 
 wife were both prostrated with fever, and so ill that 
 neither could rise to assist the other. Rats overran 
 the wretched tent in which they lay, and there, while 
 thousands of white ants crawled over their bodies, 
 they knew that all their people, with the exception of 
 a noble boy named Saat and three men who were faith- 
 ful, heartily wished them dead and out of the way. 
 What it is to be in such a condition in a savage 
 country, it is not easy to imagine. But, although there 
 was a mixture of emotions, while these were their cir- 
 cumstances, there seems to have been on the part of the 
 travellers no relenting or desire to abandon their enter- 
 prise. The old chief came to see them, and did what 
 he could for them professionally. Sorcerer as he was, 
 he did an enchantment for them, and no doubt took to 
 himself and it the credit which belonged to quinine. 
 He complained to them, in doleful terms, of the ruin 
 which the White Nile traders were working in the 
 country. 
 
 During this season of detention at Obbo, Baker ob- 
 tained further information from a native woman, about 
 Magungo. Kamrasi, in whose country the lake is, had 
 sent her, two years before, as a spy among the traders. 
 She was instructed to tempt them to the country if 
 their appearance was favourable ; but to return with a 
 report if they seemed to be dangerous. She arrived at 
 Debono's station, Faloro, and was there immediately 
 captured and sold as a slave, and was again sold to the 
 man who owned her at present. Magungo, slie said, 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 303 
 
 was only four days' hard walking from Faloro, and was 
 half-way between that place and Kamrasi's capital. 
 The lake she described as a white sheet, as far as the 
 eye could reach, and declared that " if you put a water- 
 jar on the shore, the water would run up, break it, and 
 carry it away." By such terms she meant to convey 
 the idea that there were high Avaves. Baker laid his 
 plans, in accordance with this information, which agreed 
 with his previous knowledge and confirmed it. He 
 had been already within ten days' march of the lake 
 when at Shoggo, in May ; but it would not be possible 
 to march straight for it, inasmuch as the country 
 through which he would have to pass was in possession 
 of Debono's people, and the customs of the White Nile 
 prevented Ibrahim from entering it, while to go by him- 
 self was impossible. He therefore meant to persuade 
 Ibrahim to go with him to Kamrasi's country, Unyoro, 
 and there begin a fair and honest traffic for ivory with 
 the king. If he could bring Kamrasi and Ibrahim 
 together, Koorshid, Ibrahim's master, would, according 
 to the White Nile usages, become sole trader to that 
 part of the country. Was the lake a source of the 
 Nile, having a navigable outlet? If so, it was in 
 Kamrasi's dominions ; and he could have ivory carried 
 to any depot on the lake side which might be agreed 
 on, and transported down the Nile as far as the river 
 proved navigable, and then taken to Gondokoro, not 
 more than ninety miles. Again, Unyoro was on the 
 " clothing boundary." From the Shillook country, in 
 lat. 10°, to Obbo, lat. 4°, none of the natives wear any 
 clothing; but from Unyoro down to Zanzibar they are 
 all clothed. Here a most capital business might be 
 
304 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 done by taking up ivory, and, by means of coasting 
 craft on the lake, introducing Manchester goods into 
 the very heart of Africa. The difficulty would be to 
 get a sufficient number of armed men to accompany 
 the traders without the inducements of slave-huntins: 
 and cattle-stealing. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Baker continued for months to dras: on 
 a miserable existence at Obbo. They were both worn 
 by fever, their quinine was exhausted, and every beast 
 of burden dead ; but their old friend Katchiba remained 
 true to them, and Baker's influence with the Turks, 
 having steadily grown duiing the nine months he had 
 been with them, was now paramount. He had been 
 everything to them, their surgeon and physician, had 
 lent them nearly everything they had asked for, had 
 mended their guns, and quietly helped their helpless- 
 ness, till they exclaimed, " What shall we do when the 
 Sowar (traveller) leaves the country?" Ibrahim 
 himself was ready to assist iiim in every way. Baker 
 pointed out to him that his expedition had been 
 unsuccessful in a large measure up to this time, and 
 that he would obtain little credit from his master, 
 Koorshid, when he returned to Gondokoro, if he had 
 no more than the pitiful lot of ivory which he had 
 already got. He guaranteed him one hundred cantars 
 (ten thousand lbs.) of ivory, if he would push on with 
 him at all hazards, and obtain native porters for him 
 at Shooa, and would consider Unyoro as his (Mr. 
 Baker's) country, and refrain from outrages on the 
 natives. Ibrahim was amenable to reason, and yielded, 
 notwithstanding the unwillingness of his men. But 
 all this was gained only by degrees. The main points. 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKEE. 
 
 305 
 
 however, were settled, and they started on the 5th of 
 January, 1864. The greater part of the goods of the 
 travellers was left behind, in depot, and Ibrahim left 
 forty-five men. Baker was still suffering from fever, 
 and took his last dose of precious quinine before 
 beginning his journey. 
 
 They obtained some bullocks to supply the places of 
 the animals which they had lost, neither of the travellers 
 being fit for much fatigue. Baker's soon bolted into 
 the bush, and was never more seen, and he w^as com- 
 pelled to try walking. Mrs. Baker's kicked and threw 
 her, and hurt her severely. Ibrahim, always polite and 
 obliging, gave her another, and Mr. Baker bought a 
 new one, after having struggled on in a walk of six- 
 and-twenty miles. They passed Attabi, and were 
 now in a new country. In three days they were on the 
 banks of the Asua, the river whose state of flood had 
 delayed them so long. It was now low, and they 
 crossed it without difficulty. The Turks, aware that 
 they "were not yet in the country in respect to which 
 they had promised to abstain from outrage, made a 
 raid on a Madi village, and brought back a few 
 hundred head of cattle, and some slaves, having lost 
 their standard-bearer. They had now reached Shooa, 
 and, by the customs of the traders, that belonged to 
 Debono ; but Ibrahim, in disregard of these, appro- 
 priated it, and made it a depot. Kamrasi was known 
 here, and the Obbo porters absconded as soon as they 
 discovered that the party was going to his country. 
 There had been war in Kamrasi's country, and there 
 were other discouragements, but they resolved to 
 press on. They left Shooa on the 10th of January. 
 
306 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 The landscape was very beautiful. Coming to the 
 village of Fatiko, they found it surrounded with lofty 
 and bold granite cliffs, on the summits of which the 
 natives "were perched like ravens." They here, for 
 the first time since leaving Gondokoro, crossed the 
 track of Speke, who came straight from Karuma. This 
 is the Koki in Gani of Speke. The perching of the 
 natives on the rocks seems to have struck them both. 
 " Knots of naked men," says Speke, " perched like 
 monkeys on the rocks, awaiting our approach." 
 
 The natives were very friendly, but so troublesome 
 in their ceremonies of introduction and intercourse, 
 that the travellers pursued their journey, and, descend- 
 ing the hill, were at once in a region of prairies and 
 swamps. Crossing the Un-y-ame, they marched two 
 days through the long grass, and at length set it on 
 fire before a north wind, and kept in the tracks of the 
 fire. Mr. Baker suspected that their guide was de- 
 ceiving them, and leading them too far to the west, 
 toward the island of Eionga, and it was so. Tlie march 
 became extremely fatiguing, on account of the swamps ; 
 but on the fourth day they entered a magnificent 
 forest, and, gaining an elevation in it, saw a cloud of 
 fog hanging over a distant valley, and this betokened 
 the presence of the noble stream which joins the 
 two lakes. 
 
 The river was reached next day at a point about one 
 hundred and fifty miles distant from the Victoria Lake 
 of Speke, and sixty from the Luta N'Zige Lake, but 
 Mr. Baker was not aware of the fact. The height of 
 the river above the sea was ascertained to be three 
 thousand eight hundred and six feet. They were in 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 307 
 
 Eionga's country after all ; and one of the first persons 
 they saw was Rionga's brother. The natives would 
 have nothing to do with them, and told them they 
 might go to Kamrasi if they chose. They accordingly 
 headed up the river towards the Karuma Falls of Speke, 
 intending there to cross to the south side. The distance 
 was about fifteen miles. They had a picturesque 
 march through an open forest, with the river, about 
 one hundred and fifty feet wide, near by, spouting and 
 foaming in many cascades, broken at certain parts with 
 rocky islands, on which were villages and plantain 
 groves. They reached the falls at the village of Atada, 
 above the ferry. Kamrasi's people approached in a 
 canoe, through the roar of the falls, and were told that 
 Speke's brother had arrived, bringing presents to 
 Kamrasi. After some little hesitation, he was requested 
 to show himself. Baker therefore dressed himself as he 
 knew Speke did, and stood, a solitary grey figure, on 
 the summit of a lofty and perpendicular pinnacle of 
 rock, opposite the crowd of people who swarmed thickly 
 upon the other side of the river. When joined by the 
 interpreter, he explained that his wife, an English lady, 
 had come also, to thank Kamrasi for his kind treatment 
 of Speke and Grant. A canoe was now sent across, 
 and Mr. and Mrs. Baker went in it alone. The 
 likeness between Baker and Speke was sufficiently 
 great to confirm his claim. The people welcomed him 
 in a frantic and fantastic dance, pretending to attack 
 and kill him, thrusting their lances close to his face, 
 and so giving vent to the exuberance of their joy. 
 He gave each of the principal men a bead necklace, 
 and requested that there should be no delay in his 
 
308 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 presentation to Kamrasi, as Speke had liad to wait for 
 fifteen days. They at once told him of a villainous 
 raid, of which he knew, which Debono's people had 
 made with the assistance of Eionga, and intimated 
 that no stranger was to be ferried over, on pain of 
 death to those who sanctioned and performed the 
 service. He was further informed that on the appear- 
 ance of the party, a message had been sent to M'rooli to 
 Kamrasi, which was three days' march, and that until 
 an answer was returned, nothing could be done. All 
 efforts to move these men were unavailing. Mr. Baker 
 showed some magnificent presents, and threatened to 
 depart, the wretched headman assuring him that 
 Kamrasi would cut his (the headman's) throat if Mr. 
 Baker took his presents away, and would probably do 
 the same thins^ if he ferried him over. He bes'O'ed him 
 to stay where he was, which was impossible, tliere being 
 nothing to eat, and five days of desert behind him and 
 his party. At last Mr. and Mrs. Baker, with only 
 Ibrahim (who went disguised as their servant), and two 
 others, were ferried over with all the presents. But it 
 was many days before Kamrasi could be induced to 
 act. He was sore by means of the recollection of the 
 atrocities of Debono's desperadoes, and unwilling to 
 have intercourse with strangers. At the end, cupidity 
 prevailed, and the whole party were ferried across. 
 This delay was all the more vexatious, as it was now 
 the 30th of January; the rainy season would begin 
 next month in the high lands of Obbo, and if the 
 Asua should flood, they were hopelessly cut off from 
 Gondokoro. 
 
 The people here were superior to the naked savages 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 
 
 309 
 
 of Latooka and Obbo. They were modest and well 
 clothed; their pottery was of a higher order; and they 
 w-ere good blacksmiths. Kamrasi, the king, is a prying, 
 cowardly, avaricious savage, and he treated Baker just 
 as he treated Speke and Grant. His policy with both 
 parties was to procrastinate, and keep them waiting 
 till he had got out of them everything which he fancied 
 or supposed to be worth having. He is a man who is 
 utterly false in all he does. On this occasion it was 
 his odd fancy to make his brother personate him. Mr. 
 Baker had many tierce interviews with the king, as he 
 supposed, but he never saw the real man at all, until 
 the last terrible end, when hope of more spoil was vain, 
 and Baker had also on his side ceased to expect that 
 he should be able to depart with his life. This imita- 
 tion-Kamrasi had made demand after demand on the 
 party, till he made one of so rascally a character — 
 namely, that the traveller should leave his wife with 
 him — that immediately after he had made it, he found 
 Baker within three feet of him, with his revolver 
 against his heart, and his finger twitching at the 
 trigger. Seeing that he w^as within two seconds of 
 death, he gave the route which permitted them to 
 depart. 
 
 After leaving M'rooli, the party struck along the 
 Kafoor Kiver, and crossed the head of the swamp which 
 had prevented them from striking south-west, and 
 caused them to go more southerly. Six hundred 
 yelling natives accompanied them as an escort, and for 
 the first day at least, as they afterwards found, Kam- 
 rasi himself was in the crowd, that he might see with- 
 out being seen. Mr. and Mrs. Baker were still suffering 
 
310 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 from fever and its effects ; they had had great difficulty 
 in finding porters, and the prospect before them was 
 most depressing and discouraging. Matters were very 
 bad, but they were soon to become worse. On the 
 fourth day they came to the Eiver Kafoor, which, 
 bending south, they were obliged to cross. This 
 could be done only in a very curious way. The whole 
 stream was matted over with a carpet of floating weeds, 
 so strong and so thick, that it was sufficient to bear the 
 weight of a man if he ran quickly. The width was 
 about thirty yards. Baker started, begging his wife to 
 follow him rapidly, keeping exactly in his footsteps. 
 When he was half-way across, he turned to see why she 
 was not with him, and, to his horror, saw her standing 
 in one place, and sinking through the weeds, her face 
 distorted and purple, and almost at the moment of his 
 catching sight of her, she fell headlong down with a 
 coujp de soleil. In the desperation of the moment, he 
 and several of his men seized her, and dragged her 
 across, sinking in the weeds up to their waists, and 
 just keeping her head above water. She lay perfectly 
 insensible, as though dead, with clenched hands and 
 set teeth, all efforts at restoring animation being for 
 a time utterly useless. When at length these had 
 succeeded, she was gently borne forward like a corpse — 
 the rattle was in her throat, and the end seemed to be 
 very near. Three days of insensibility were followed 
 by seven more of brain fever and delirium. Prepara- 
 tions were made for the worst, which it was believed 
 had actually come ; but the spark of life was not fully 
 extinguished, and it began to brighten, and by and by 
 burnt more steadily. It was now possible to move. 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 311 
 
 and at the close of the sixteenth day from M'rooli they 
 were at the village of Parkani, one hundred miles on a 
 line from M'rooli ; and they began to hope once more 
 that the object of these two years' weary wanderings 
 was close at hand. 
 
 Let the reader try to realise the position of these 
 explorers. They possessed wealth, talent, and many 
 friends. Yet here they were, in the midst of savages, 
 under the equator, enduring all descriptions of hard- 
 ships, simply that they might solve a great geo- 
 graphical problem. Sick nearly to death, with no 
 medicine, their road homeward still open, the dreadful 
 Asua threatening to flood behind them, and detain 
 them for another year in that pestilential country, such 
 detention meaning death, they yet resolved on prose- 
 cuting their purpose. For his wife's sake, Mr. Baker 
 would have turned and given up his darling project ; 
 but even in the sharpest spasms of the ague-fit, or in 
 seasons of the deepest languor and depression, she 
 invariably urged him to proceed. They did proceed, 
 and they obtained their reward. 
 
 On the day before they arrived at Parkani, Baker had 
 observed, at a great distance to the north-west of their 
 course, a range of very lofty mountains. He fancied 
 that the lake must lie on the other side of this range, 
 but now he was informed that these mountains were 
 the west boundary of the N'Zige, and that if he started 
 early he might reach it by noon. Accordingly on the 
 14th of March, 1864, starting early, he, the first 
 European who had ever seen it, looked on this mag- 
 nificent body of water. He says: "Long before I 
 reached this spot, I had arranged to give three cheers 
 
312 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 with all our men in English style, in hononr of the 
 discovery ; but now that I looked down upon the great 
 inland sea, lying nestled in the very heart of Africa, 
 and thought how vainly mankind had sought these 
 sources throughout so many ages, and reflected that I 
 had been the humble instrument permitted to unravel 
 this portion of the great mystery, when so many 
 greater than I had ^iled, I felt too sei'ious to vent my 
 feelings in vain cheers for victory, and I sincerely 
 thanked God for having guided and supported us 
 through all dangers to the good end. As I looked 
 down upon those welcome waters, upon that vast 
 reservoir which nourished Egypt, and brought fertility 
 where all was wilderness, upon that great source so 
 long hidden from mankind ; that source of bounty and 
 blessings to millions of human beings ; and as one of 
 the greatest objects in nature, I determined to honour 
 it with a great name. As an imperishable memorial 
 of one loved and mourned by our gracious Queen, and 
 deplored by every Englishman, I called this great lake 
 ' The xilbert N'Yanza.' The Victoria and the Albert 
 Lakes are the two sources of the Nile." He subse- 
 quently procured the means, and gave his men a feast 
 in honour of the discovery, and in gratitude for his 
 wife's' recovery. Opposite to him, the lake was about 
 sixty miles broad, but to the south and south-west lay 
 a boundless horizon like the ocean. Immediately on 
 the other side rose a grand range of mountains, some 
 of them seven thousand feet high, and down two 
 streams in their rifts there streamed great waterfalls, 
 visible even at that vast distance, to add their contri- 
 butions to the fresh-water ocean. This, then, was the 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 313 
 
 Luta N'Zige, the lake of the dead locusts, the reservoir 
 of the Nile. Probably more than once had relief come 
 from these waters from the great locust plague, and 
 hence the name, the likely origin of which reminds us 
 of words written more than two thousand years ago : 
 "And the Lord sent a strong wind, and drove the 
 locusts into the Ked Sea." 
 
 Baker, on the occasion of his first sighting the water, 
 stood on a point 1500 feet above it. In all likelihood, 
 therefore, he under-estimated the breadth of the lake. 
 Even in our own hazy climate, the Isle of Man, whose 
 highest point, Snaefell, is only 2,004 feet, is plainly 
 visible for nearly the whole of its length from the 
 coast of Carnarvonshire, which is seventy miles. Etna, 
 11,000 feet, is also visible from Malta, a distance of 120 
 miles. The estimate of Mr. Baker was, moreover, con- 
 firmed by native testimony : the natives told him that 
 it was four days hard rowing to the other side, and that 
 many canoes had been lost in attempting the passage. 
 
 Mrs. Baker, utterly w^orn out with sickness, was 
 assisted with difficulty to reach this first point of dis- 
 covery. The ascent was too steep for cattle, but lean- 
 ing on her husband's shoulder she accomplished it, and 
 they both, descended to the shore. Wild waves were 
 sweeping over the surface of the water, and bursting at 
 their feet upon the white shingly beach. In his 
 enthusiasm. Baker dashed in headlong, and drank deep 
 of the pure fresh element which in so vast a body was 
 now actually before their eyes. The scene is one of 
 thrilling interest : a great expanse of water, unseen 
 before by any member of our race, bounded in part by 
 dim blue mountains, in part by the sky which met the 
 
 Y 
 
814 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 horizoD, wild plunging waves, and in the foreground 
 two solitary figures on the shore — the one that of a 
 young and weary woman, the other that of a noble man 
 possessed and commanded by a great purpose, which 
 he had now in great part realised. 
 
 Close by was the fishing village of Vacovia, round 
 whose huts stood beautifully made harpoons, hooks, 
 and lines used for taking not only the enormous fish of 
 200 lbs. weight or more which abound in the lake, but 
 also the hippopotamus and the crocodile, which are 
 very numerous. The traveller was delayed here eight 
 days for want of the boats which had been ordered for 
 him by Kamrasi. The situation was very unhealthy, 
 but he was able to explore a little, and obtained much 
 information about the lake from the headman of the 
 village. The lake is known to extend as far south as 
 Utumbi, to a position exactly the same as the Lake Eusisi 
 of Speke. This is in the country of Karagwe, and the 
 King Eumanika was in the habit of sending ivory 
 hunting parties to this point, which is close to Mount 
 MTumbiro. This gives the lake a length of about 300 
 miles in a south-western direction. It then turns to the 
 west, and its extent in that direction is unknown. It 
 appears from this that in length it is at least the 
 second or third body of fresh water in the world, if a 
 better knowledge of it do not, indeed, prove it to be 
 the first. It is remarkable that the necessity of the 
 existence of some such reservoir was not asserted 
 before. Such a body of water is absolutely required to 
 force a stream such as the Nile to the sea, a distance of 
 2,500 miles, with scarcely a perennial affluent of any per- 
 manent importance, if we except the Blue Nile, which 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 
 
 315 
 
 is insignificant in the summer. At the north-east corner, 
 at Magungo, the river which connects it with Speke's 
 Victoria N'Yanza, and which passes Kamrasi's and 
 the Karuma Falls, enters the lake. Thirty miles north 
 the great Nile itself flows out of it towards the sea. 
 
 Preparations were now made for a fortniglit's voyage 
 on the lake. Two canoes were selected, — the one 
 twenty-six and the other thirty-two feet, both made of 
 sinofle locrs. A cabin was constructed in the smaller of 
 these, and they started. The scenery was most beautiful. 
 Sometimes the mountains to tlie west were quite 
 invisible, and the canoes usually kept within a hun- 
 dred yards of the shore. At one time the cliffs would 
 recede, and leave a meadow more or less broad at their 
 base ; at another the rocks would go right down into 
 deep water ; and, again, a grand mass of gneiss and 
 granite, 1100 feet high, would present itself, feathered 
 with beautiful evergreens and giant euphorbias, with 
 every runnel and rivulet in its clefts fringed with 
 graceful wild date-trees. Hippopotami lazily floated 
 about ; and crocodiles, alarmed by the canoe, would rush 
 quickly out of the bushes into the water. On one occasion 
 he killed one of them with his rifle, and it sank in eight 
 feet of water ; but the water was so beautifully trans- 
 parent that it could be seen plainly lying at the bottom 
 bleeding. They once saw an elephant come down out of 
 the forest to bathe. At another time, fourteen of those 
 majestic beasts were seen disporting themselves in a sandy 
 bay, throwing jets of water in all directions. On another 
 occasion they passed a waterfall, 1,000 feet high, made 
 by the river Kaiigiri, which rises in the swamp which 
 turned them out of their way on leaving M'rooli. 
 
 Y 2 
 
316 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 Such were tlie sights of their voyage, but, at tlie 
 same time, it was not in all respects a pleasant one. 
 They were both still poorly, and they were cramped 
 together for the whole day in this narrow boat, under 
 a low awning of bullock's hide. At night they camped 
 on the shore. Besides, the weather was bad. At one 
 o'clock every day a violent tornado lashed the lake 
 into fury, and placed their craft in imminent danger. 
 In the course of their sailing exploration, they were 
 nearly lost by this means, having been caught by the 
 gale four miles from land, and obliged to run before it, 
 being nearly swamped at times by the heaviness of the 
 swell. They managed to reach the shore, however, but 
 their boat was overturned on the beach, and all the 
 live stock was drowned ; and it was with difficulty 
 that they recovered their boat. After thirteen days, 
 when they had rowed for ninety miles, the lake began 
 to contract, and vast reed-beds extended from the shore 
 to the distance of a mile, there being a floating vege- 
 tation similar to that of the bridge which they were 
 crossing when Mrs. Baker was struck down. Pi eferring 
 to find a gap in this false shore to the ordinary method 
 of walking over it, he coasted the floating reeds for a 
 mile, and came to a broad still channel, bounded with 
 reeds on both sides. This was the embouchure of the 
 Victoria Nile — the channel which connects the Albert 
 with the Victoria N' Yanza. Our information respecting 
 this river warrants our concluding that the length of 
 its course is about 250 miles. It was seen for the first 
 fifty miles of its course from the Kipon Falls to Ny- 
 amionjo, by Speke, in August 1862. The next sixty 
 miles have not yet been verified. From twenty miles 
 
SIR SAMUEL AXD LADY BAKER. 
 
 above Kamrasi's to fifteen miles below the Karuma 
 Falls, a distance of ninety miles, it is tolerably known 
 by Speke and Baker. The next forty miles are a 
 succession of cataracts. The last few miles, from the 
 Murchison Falls to the Great New Lake, have been 
 explored by Mr. Baker, so that of the supposed 250 miles 
 of the course of the Victoria Xile, only about 50 require 
 yerifying. And the next great question in regard to 
 the Albert N'Yanza will be — has it not other great 
 affluents besides this one, and, if so, what and where 
 are they ? That many considerable affluents flow into the 
 Albert Lake there is no doubt. The two waterfalls seen 
 by telescope upon the western shore from the Blue 
 Mountains must be most important streams, or they 
 could not be distinguished at so great a distance as fifty 
 or sixty miles, but the natives all declared that there 
 were many streams, varying in size, which descended 
 the mountains upon all sides into the general reservoir. 
 
 They found the channel of the Victoria Nile, still 
 water, and about half a mile wide. The same river 
 had been seen at Karuma, boiling and tearing along a 
 rocky course, and now it entered the lake as still water ! 
 They had heard voices for some time on the other side 
 of the rushes, and they now found a number of natives 
 who had arrived to meet them with the chief of Ma- 
 gungo, and their own guide Eabonga, who had been 
 sent in advance with the riding -oxen from Vacovia. 
 The water was very shallow, and the natives rushed in 
 and dragged the canoes over the mud to the land. 
 They had- been so entirely hidden on the lake on the 
 other side of the reed bank, that they had not been able 
 to see the eastern or Magungo shore, and they now 
 
318 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 foimd themselves in a delightful spot under the shade 
 of several enormous trees, on firm sandy and rocky 
 ground, while the country rose in a rapid incline to 
 the town of Magungo, about a mile distant, on an 
 elevated ridge. 
 
 They found the riding-oxen in good order, and were 
 invited to wait under a tree till the presents of the 
 headman should be delivered. By and by a number 
 of people arrived from the village, bringing a goat, 
 fowls, eggs, sour milk, and fresh butter. The chief 
 was delighted with a present of a quantity of beads ; 
 and they were led up the hill towards Magungo. The day 
 was beautifully clear. The soil was sandy and poor ; but 
 the road was clean and hard ; and, after the many days' 
 boating, they enjoyed the walk, as well as the splendid 
 view that lay before them when they arrived at Magungo, 
 and looked back upon the lake. They were now 250 
 feet above the water-level. The general elevation of 
 the country seemed to be about 500 feet, for five or 
 six miles, after which it descended by undulations. 
 The mountains on- the Mallegga side, with the lake 
 in the foreground, were the most prominent objects, 
 and formed the western boundary. There appeared a 
 gap in the range, a few miles to the north, and the 
 lake continued to the west, but much contracted, while 
 the mountain range on the northern side of the gap 
 proceeded to the north-east. Due north and north- 
 east the country was a dead flat, and as far as tJie 
 eye could reach was an extent of bright green reecls 
 marking the course of the iS'ile as it made its exit from 
 the lake. The sheet of water at Magungo was about 
 seventeen miles in width, and continued in a long strip 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 319 
 
 or tail to the north, until it was lost in the flat valley 
 of green rushes. The natives said that canoes could 
 navigate the Nile from the lake to the Madi country — 
 there being no cataracts for a long distance, bat that 
 both the Madi and Koshi were hostile, and that the 
 current in the river was so strong that, if the canoe 
 should descend from the lake, it could not return with- 
 out many rowers. They pointed out the country of 
 Koshi on the west bank of the Nile, at its exit from 
 the lake ; and it included the mountains that bordered 
 the river. The small country, M'Caroli, joined 
 ]\rallegga, and continued to the west, towards the 
 Makkarika. The men here positively refused to take 
 Baker down the Nile to the Madi, as they said the 
 people were their enemies, and would kill them on 
 their return when he should not be with them. 
 
 The exit of the Nile from the lake was plain enough, 
 at a distance of within eighteen miles of Magungo. 
 The real wish of the traveller was to descend the Nile 
 in canoes from its exit with his own men as boatmen, 
 and thus in a short time to reach the cataracts in the 
 Madi country ; there to forsake the canoes and all his 
 baggage, and to march direct to Gondokoro with only 
 his guns and ammunition. He knew from native 
 report that the Nile was navigable as far as the Madi 
 country to about Miani's tree, which Speke had laid 
 down by astronomical observation in lat. 3° 34'. This 
 would be only seven days' march from Gondokoro, and 
 by such a direct course he estimated that he should 
 be sure to arrive in time for the boats to Khartum. 
 But he had promised to Speke that he would explore 
 most thoroughly the doubtful portion of the Victoria 
 
320 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Nile river, which he had been obliged to omit from 
 Kciruraa Falls to the lake. He was himself confused 
 at the dead-water junction ; and, although he knew 
 that the natives must be right, he was determined to 
 sacrifice every other wish in order to fulfil his promise, 
 and thus to settle the Nile question satisfactorily. That 
 the Nile flowed out of the lake he had heard, and had 
 confirmed the fact by actual inspection. From Ma- 
 gungo he looked upon the countries Koshi and Madi, 
 through which it flowed, and these countries he must 
 actually pass through and again meet the Nile before 
 he could reach Gondokoro. Thus the only part to 
 be at present verified was the Eiver Somerset, or 
 Victoria Nile, as between the lake and the Karuma 
 Falls. The chief of Magungo and all the natives 
 assured him that the broad channel of dead water at 
 his feet was positively the brawling river which he had 
 crossed below the Karuma Falls, but he could not 
 understand how so fine a body of water as that had 
 appeared could possibly enter the Albert Lake as dead 
 water. The guide and natives laughed at his unbelief, 
 and declared that it was dead water for a considerable 
 distance from the junction with the lake, but that a 
 great waterfall rushed down from a mountain, and 
 that beyond that fall the river was merely a succession 
 of cataracts throughout the entire distance of about six 
 days' march to Karuma Falls. 
 
 Having resolved to explore the Victoria Nile as far 
 as those falls, and the boats being ready, he took leave 
 of the chief, leaving him an acceptable present of beads, 
 and descended the hill to the river, thankful at having 
 so far successfully terminated the expedition as to have 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 
 
 321 
 
 traced the lake to the important point of Magungo, 
 which had been his clue to the discoyery even so far 
 away in time and place as the distant country of 
 Latooka. They were both very weak and ill, he 
 endeavouring to assist his wife, and she doing her best 
 to assist him. Beaching the boats they started at once 
 and made good progress till the evening. The river 
 seemed to be entirely devoid of current, and had an 
 average breadth of about five hundred yards. Before 
 halting for the night, he had a severe attack of fever, 
 and was carried ashore on a litter, perfectly unconscious, 
 to a village in the neighbourhood of their landing-place. 
 At daybreak, he was too weak to stand, and both he and 
 his wife were carried down to the canoes. Many of the 
 men were also suffering from fever, the malaria of the 
 dense masses of floating vegetation being most poi- 
 sonous. At about ten miles from Magungo the river 
 rapidly narrowed to two hundred and fifty yards. The 
 great flats of rush banks were left behind them, and 
 they entered a channel between high ground on both 
 sides, the hills being covered with forest. There was 
 not even yet, however, any perceptible stream. The 
 water was clear and very deep. They halted and slept 
 on a mud-bank close to the shore. On waking next 
 morning, the river was covered with a thick fog ; and 
 as, before arousing his nien, he lay watching the fog as 
 it was slowly being lifted from the ^vater, he was struck 
 by the fact that the little green water-plants, like 
 floating cabbages {Fistia stratioies, L.), were certainly 
 moving, although very slowly, to the west. He imme- 
 diately jumped up and examined them more carefully ; 
 there was no doubt about it ; tbey were travelling 
 
322 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 towards the Albert Lake. They were now about 
 eighteen miles in a direct line from Magungo, and there 
 was a current in the river, which, though slight, was 
 perceptible. They had laid themselves down with their 
 clothes on ; their toilette was therefore the more easily 
 arranged, and they at once entered their canoe and 
 gave orders to start. 
 
 As they proceeded, the river gradually narrowed to 
 about one hundred iind eighty yards ; and when the 
 paddles ceased working, they could distinctly hear the 
 roar of water. The roar of the fall was extremely loud, 
 and after hard pulling for a couple of hours, daring 
 which time the velocity of the stream increased, they 
 arrived at a few deserted fishing-huts, at a point where 
 the river made a slight turn. There was here a most 
 extraordinary show of crocodiles : they lay like logs of 
 timber close together, and upon one bank they counted 
 twenty-seven of large size, and every basking-place 
 was crowded in a similar manner. From the time that 
 they had fairly entered the river, it had been confined by 
 somewhat precipitous heights on either side, but at this 
 point they were much higher and bolder. From the 
 roar of the water there was reason to believe that the 
 fall would be in sight if they turned the corner at the 
 bend of the river ; and he desired the boatmen to row 
 as fast as they could. They objected to this at first, 
 wishing to stop at the deserted village, and contending 
 that, as this was to be the limit of their journey, farther 
 progress was impossible. But he explained that he 
 merely wished to see the fall, and they rowed imme- 
 diately up the stream, which was now strong against 
 them. Upon rounding the comer, a magnificent sight 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKEE. 323 
 
 burst suddenly upon them. On either side the river 
 were beautifully wooded cliffs rising abruptly to a height 
 of about three hundred feet : rocks jutted out from the 
 intensely green foliage ; and rushing through a gap 
 that cleft the rock exactly before them, the river con- 
 tracted from a grand stream, and was pent up in a narrow 
 gorge of scarcely fifty yards in width, roaring furiously 
 through the rock-bound pass, till it plunged in one leap 
 of about one hundred and twenty feet perpendicular 
 into the abyss below. The fall of water was white as 
 snow, and this had a fine effect in contrast with the dark 
 cliffs which surrounded it, while the graceful palms and 
 plantains of the tropics perfected the beauty of the 
 view. This was the greatest w^aterfall of the Nile, and, 
 in honour of the President of the Eoyal Geographical 
 Society, Baker named it the Murchison Falls. 
 
 The boatmen were promised a present of beads to 
 induce them to approach the fall as close as possible, 
 and they succeeded in bringing the canoe to within 
 about three hundred yards of the base, but the power of 
 the current and the force of the whirlpools prevented 
 their going nearer. A sandbank on their left was 
 literally covered with crocodiles, which had no fear of 
 the canoe till it came within twenty yards of them, and 
 then they slowly crept into the water, all except one — 
 an enormous fellow who lazily lagged behind, and who 
 dropped dead immediately as a bullet struck him in the 
 brain. The boatmen were alarmed at the unexpected 
 report of the rifle, and sought shelter in the body of 
 the canoe, not one of them using a paddle, and nothing 
 would induce them to attend to the boat, especially as a 
 second shot had been fired as a quietus, and they could 
 
324 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 not tell Low often the alarming noise might be repeated. 
 They were therefore at the mercy of the powerful 
 stream, and the canoe was w^liisked round bv the eddy 
 and carried against a thick bank of high reeds. They 
 had scarcely touched it when a tremendous commotion 
 took place in the rushes, and in an instant a great bull 
 hippopotamus charged the canoe, and with a severe 
 shock striking the bottom he lifted them half out of the 
 water. The natives w ho were in the bottom of the boat 
 positively yelled with terror, not knowing whether the 
 shock might not in some way be connected with the 
 dreaded report of the rifle. 
 
 A few- kicks bestowed by Baker's angry men upon 
 the recumbent boatmen restored them to the perpen- 
 dicular, and the first thing necessary w^as to hunt for a 
 lost paddle which was floating down the rapid current. 
 The hippopotamus, proud of having disturbed them, 
 raised his head to take a last view of his enemy, but 
 sunk too rapidly to permit a shot. Crocodile heads of 
 enormous size were to be seen in all directions, and it 
 w^ould have been good sport to these monsters if the 
 bull hippo had been successful in liis attempt to capsize 
 the canoe. Baker prevailed upon the boatmen to keep 
 the canoe steady while he made a sketch of the ]\Iur- 
 chison Falls, which being completed they drifted rapidly 
 down to the landing-place at tlie deserted fishing-village, 
 and bade adieu to the navigation of the lake and river 
 of Central Africa. 
 
 Four men were now sent wdth the boatmen and the 
 interpreter to the nearest village to ascertain whether 
 the guide Eabonga had arrived with the riding-oxen^ 
 as the future travelling of the 'party was to be by land, 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 325 
 
 and tlie limit of their navigation must have been well 
 known to him. After some hours the men returned with 
 a message from the headman of the village to the 
 effect that the oxen were there, but that the guide had 
 remained at Mac^unofo. The animals should be brouo^ht 
 to them that evening, however, together with porters to 
 convey the luggage. 
 
 They started next day, but not until the afternoon, 
 having had to await the arrival of the headman, who 
 was to escort them. The oxen had been bitten by the 
 fly and looked wretched. Sooner or later they should 
 lose the whole of them. The travellers themselves 
 were quite a match in appearance to their animals. 
 They continued their journey, being now above the 
 Murchison Falls, the water of which they heard roaring 
 beneath them. Having passed the night at a village 
 which belonged to the headman who had accompanied 
 them, they proceeded on a route parallel to the river, and 
 continued for a day's march, keeping near to the Vic- 
 toria Nile stream, crossing many ravines and torrents, till 
 suddenly turning to their left they arrived at the bank 
 from which they were to be transported to an island 
 named Patooan, where a chief resided. Baker himself 
 had been obliged to walk, his ox not being fit to carry 
 him ; his wife had been borne on a litter. It was already 
 dark when they reached the river, and after much 
 hallooing a canoe was brought from the island, which 
 was not more than fifty yards from the mainland, and 
 they w^ere ferried across. Mrs. Baker was ill of a sudden 
 attack of fever, and was carried, Baker knew not 
 whither, by some of his men, while he himself, exhausted 
 with the same fell disease, lay down on the wet ground 
 
326 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 utterly exhausted. The men who had carried his wife 
 to the viUage returned by and by with firebrands, and 
 he managed to follow them back, with the aid of along 
 stick on which he rested with both hands. After a walk 
 through a forest of high trees, for about a quarter of a 
 mile, he arrived at the village, where he was shown a 
 miserable hut, through the roof of which the stars were 
 visible. In this lay his wife, very ill, and he fell down upon 
 some straw. About an hour later, a violent thunderstorm 
 broke over them, and their hut was perfectly flooded. 
 Of course their night was a very wretched one. 
 
 The island of Patooan is about half a mile long by 
 150 yards wide, and is one of the many masses of rocks 
 that choke the river between Karuma Falls and the 
 great Murchison Cataract. The rock is entirely of grey 
 granite, from the clefts of which grow beautiful forest 
 trees, so thickly that the entire island is in shade. In 
 the middle of this secluded spot there w^as a considerable 
 village, thickly inhabited ; the population of the main- 
 land having fled from their dwellings, and taken refuge 
 upon the numerous islands of the river, on account of 
 the war which was raging between Kionga and Kamrasi. 
 There is a succession of islands from the east of Patooan 
 to within a march of Karuma Falls. These were at 
 this time in the possession of Kionga, and a still more 
 pow^erful chief and ally, Fowooka, who were the deadly 
 enemies of Kamrasi. 
 
 The headman now informed them that it would be 
 impossible to proceed along the bank of the river to 
 Karuma, as that entire line of country was in possession 
 of the enemy. This was an intimation, plainly enough, 
 that the party could not procure porters. But the 
 
SIE SAMUEL AXD LADY BAKEE. 327 
 
 exploration was completed, and it was by no means 
 necessary to continue the journey from Patooan to 
 Karuma. He had followed the Somerset or Victoria 
 Nile, from its junction with the lake at Magungo to this 
 point; it was here a beautiful river, precisely similar in 
 character with that which distinguished it at the point 
 at which he had left it at Karuma, and the party was 
 now within thirty miles of that place, and about 
 eighteen from the point opposite Eionga's island, where 
 they had first reached the river on their arrival from 
 the north. The direction of the stream was perfectly 
 in accordance with the observations made at Karuma 
 and at Magungo — running from east to west. The 
 river was here about one hundred and fifty to two 
 hundred yards wide, but much obstructed with rocks 
 and islands ; its current was at the rate of about four 
 miles an hour, and the rapids and falls were so numerous 
 that the roar of water had been uninterrupted throughout 
 the whole march from Murchison Falls. The altitude 
 of the river at Patooan was ascertained to be 3,195 
 feet ; thus from that point to the. level of the Albert 
 Lake at Magungo, there was a fall of four hundred and 
 seventy-five feet — this difference being on account of 
 the dead state of the water near the lake, almost entirely 
 furnished by the river between Patooan and the foot 
 of Murchison Falls: the latter being at the lowest 
 estimate one hundred and twenty feet, there were thus 
 left three hundred and fifty-five feet to be accounted 
 for between Patooan and the top of the falls. As the 
 ledges of rock throughout the coarse of the river formed 
 a series of steps, this was a natural difference in altitude 
 which suggested the correctness of the observations. 
 
328 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 At the level of the river below Karuma Falls he had 
 measured the altitude at 3,996 feet above the sea- 
 level. Tiiere was thus a fall from that point to 
 Patooan of 801 feet, and a total of 1,276 feet in the 
 descent of the river from Karuma to the Albert 
 N'Yanza. These measurements, being carefully taken, 
 corroborated the opinion suggested by the natural 
 appearance of the river, which was a mere succession 
 of cataracts throughout its westerly course from 
 Karuma. These observations w^ere especially interest- 
 ing from the fact that when he had met Speke at 
 Gondokoro, that traveller was much perplexed con- 
 cerning the extraordinary difference in his observation 
 between the altitude of the river-level at Karuma Falls, 
 lat. 2° 15', and at Gebel Kookoo in the Madi country, 
 lat. 3° 34', the point at which he subsequently met the 
 river. He hnew that both rivers were the Nile — the 
 one before it had joined the lake, and the other after 
 its exit; but he had been told that the river was 
 navigahle from Gebel Kookoo, straight up to the 
 junction of the lake: thus there could be no great 
 difference in altitude between the lake and the Nile 
 where he met it. But he found so enormous a dif- 
 ference in his observations between the river at 
 Karuma and at Gebel Kookoo that he concluded there 
 must be a fall in it between Karuma and the lake of 
 at least 1,000 feet. By careful measurements Baker 
 proved the closeness of Speke's reasoning and ob- 
 servation, by finding a fall of only 275 feet more than 
 he had anticipated. From Karuma to the Albert Lake 
 (although he had not visited it), Speke had marked 
 upon his map, river falls 1,000 feet," and by actual 
 
Sm SAMUEL AND LADY BAKEK. 329 
 
 measurement Baker proved it to be 1,275 feet. From 
 M'rooli to Atada or Karuma Falls, there is a fall in 
 the river of about one foot in the mile, and the stream 
 is navigable. The latitude of the island of Patooan, by 
 observation, was 2° 16' : they were thus, at that point, 
 due west of Magungo, and east of Karuma Falls. 
 
 They were prisoners on the island of Patooan, inas- 
 much as they could not procure porters at any price 
 to remove their effects. They had lost all their riding- 
 oxen within a few days; they having succumbed to 
 the flies, and the only animal alive was a little bull 
 which had always carried the boy Saat, and it was 
 already half dead. It was the 8th of April, and within 
 a few days the boats upon which they depended for 
 their return to civilisation would assuredly quit 
 Gondokoro. He, accordingly, offered the natives all 
 the beads he had (about fifty pounds) and the whole of his 
 baggage if they would carry the party to Shooa direct. 
 They were in perfect despair : both of them were com- 
 pletely worn out with fatigue and fever, and certain 
 death seemed to stare them in the face if they re- 
 mained, in so unhealthy a spot ; and worse than death 
 was the idea of their losing the boats, and being- 
 compelled to remain prisoners for another year in that 
 dreadful land. Either one such result or the other 
 must inevitably happen if they did not hurry, without 
 delay, direct to Gondokoro. AYith their usual cunning, 
 the natives at length offered to convey them to Shooa, 
 provided that they were paid the beads in advance. 
 The boats were prepared to ferry them across the river, 
 but h^ fortunately discovered the treacherous design of 
 these people to place them in the uninhabited wilder- 
 
 . z 
 
330 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 ness on the north side, and leave them there to die 
 of hunger. They had conspired together to land the 
 party, but to immediately return with the boats after 
 having thus got rid of the incubus of their guests. 
 
 They were in a great dilemma; but they were 
 resolved not to remain on the island, as they suspected 
 that the boats might be taken away and that thus they 
 should be kept prisoners. Baker therefore ordered his 
 men to take the canoes and ferry the party to the 
 mainland from which they had come. Upon hearing 
 this order, the headman offered to carry them to a 
 village and there await orders from Kamrasi as to 
 whether they were to be forwarded to Shooa or not. 
 They were therefore ferried across, and both of them, 
 unable to walk, were carried by the natives for about 
 three hours, at the end of which time they arrived at a 
 deserted village, half of which ^vas in ashes, it having 
 been plundered and burnt by the enemy. They spent 
 the night in an old hut in pouring rain. Fearing that 
 the natives might desert them, he gave orders to his 
 own men to disarm them, and retain their weapons as 
 a security ; but on the following morning not a native 
 was to be seen — every man of them had absconded, 
 without their spears and shields — there were neither 
 inhabitants nor provisions in the place, and the whole 
 country was a wilderness of rank grass which hemmed 
 them in on all sides. He directed his men to search 
 among the ruined villages for buried corn, and, after 
 some hours, assisted by the woman from Obbo, 
 Bacheeta, who being a native of the country was 
 acquainted with the ways of the people, they discovered 
 a hollow place, by sounding the earth with a stick, and, 
 
Sm SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 331 
 
 upon digging, found a granary of the seed known as 
 " tullaboon," which was a great prize, and which, 
 although mouldy and bitter, would keep them from 
 starving. They also discovered three varieties of 
 plants, growing in profusion ; which, when boiled, were 
 a good substitute for spinach. Their dinner thus 
 consisted daily of a mess of black porridge, that no 
 English pig would have touched, and a large dish of 
 spinach. Baker says, " * Better a dinner of herbs where 
 love is,' &c., often occurred to me ; but I am not sure 
 that I was quite of that opinion after a fortnight's 
 grazing upon spinach." They also, by and by, found a 
 species of wild thyme, which made a tolerable substi- 
 tute for tea. Exhausted by fever and the effects of the 
 climate, and subsisting upon this wretched fare, the 
 two travellers lay in their hut, unable to walk, for 
 nearly two months. Their men made long excursions 
 through the country to endeavour to purchase pro- 
 visions, but in the two months they procured only two 
 kids — the country was deserted on account of the war. 
 Every day the boy Saat and the woman Bacheeta 
 sallied out and conversed with the inhabitants of the 
 different islands on the river, which was within two 
 miles of them, and sometimes, but very rarely, they 
 returned with a fowl, which event, when it did happen, 
 caused great rejoicing. 
 
 Gondokoro was now out of the question ; and, per- 
 fectly resigned to their fate, they were sure that they 
 must be buried in Chopi. He, therefore, wrote in- 
 structions in his journal, in case of death, and instructed 
 his headman to deliver his maps, observations, and 
 papers to the English Consul at Khartum. This was 
 
 z 2 
 
332 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 his only care, as he feared that, if he should die, all 
 his labour might be lost. He had no fear for his wife, 
 for she was quite as bad as he, and if one should die 
 the other would certainly follow ; and, indeed, they had 
 agreed that it would be better so, than that, if he were 
 gone, she should fall into the hands of Kamrasi. They 
 had struggled to win, and they thanked God that they 
 had won; and if death were to be the price, at all 
 events they were at the goal, and should have rest, — 
 there would be no more suffering, no fever, no long 
 journey before them, which in their weak state was an 
 infliction ; " the only wish was to lay down the burthen." 
 
 This village in which so melancholy a season was 
 spent is in Kamrasi's country. After a time, the tra- 
 vellers came to understand that they had been deserted 
 by the Patooan men by Kamrasi's orders. He was at 
 war, and wanted Baker with his men and his guns to 
 join him, being assured that, if he did, they would 
 gain the victory. The abandonment and the starvation 
 were measures of coercion by means of which the 
 king believed he could realise his wish. Kamrasi, it 
 was said, was not more than thirty miles distant. At 
 the end of two months, therefore, Baker sent his 
 vakeel or headman, with a native as a guide, as the 
 bearer of a message to him. He demanded that an 
 escort should be sent for him, and after some days, the 
 absconded guide, Rabonga, appeared with a number of 
 men, but without the vakeel. He brought two pieces 
 of printed paper with him, torn out of a book which 
 had been left by Speke, as evidence that the messenger 
 had seen the king. Next morning, the two sufferers 
 were carried forward on litters. Arriving at a village, 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 333 
 
 Kisoona, they found that ten of Ibrahim's Turks had 
 been detained there as hostages. Baker's men and 
 they fired salutes of welcome and greeting, and great 
 was their rejoicing at meeting again. The king sent a 
 substantial present, and his brother, who had formerly 
 represented him, and pretended to be Kamrasi, paid a 
 visit on the following morning. Baker sent the king a 
 present of powder and caps, and other articles explain- 
 ing that he was quite out of stores, having been kept 
 so long in the country. M'Gambi, the brother, ap- 
 peared again in the evening, with a message from the 
 king, to the effect that Baker was his greatest friend, 
 that he could not think of taking anything from him — 
 he desired nothing — but he would be much obliged if 
 he would give him the '^little double rifle that he 
 always carried, and his watch, and his compass!" 
 They were quietly but firmly refused, and an assurance 
 given that no more presents were wanted from the 
 king. Being entreated to visit Kamrasi, Baker con- 
 sented; but he was in rags, and he knew that dress 
 has always a certain effect even in Africa. He 
 happened to possess a full-dress Highland suit which 
 he had worn when he had lived in Perthshire many 
 years before. This he had treasured for great occasions 
 like the present. He, therefore, appeared at eight 
 o'clock the next morning, attired in kilt, sporran, and 
 Glengarry bonnet ; and to the utter amazement of the 
 crowd, the ragged-looking object that had arrived in 
 Kisoona now issued from the obscure hut, with plaid 
 and kilt of Athole tartan. He was immediately 
 shouldered by a number of men, and, attended by ten 
 of his own people as an escort, he was carried to the 
 
334 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 camp of the great Kamrasi. It was the real man 
 this time. 
 
 Kamrasi was a remarkably fine man, tall and well- 
 proportioned, with a handsome face of a dark-brown 
 colour, but with a peculiarly sinister expression. He 
 was beautifully clean, and, instead of wearing the dark 
 cloth common among the people, he was dressed in a 
 fine mantle of black and white goat-skins, as soft as 
 chamois leather. His people sat on the ground at 
 some distance from his throne ; when they approached 
 to address him on any subject, they crawled upon their 
 hands and knees to his feet, and touched the ground 
 with their foreheads. Aware of the practice of the 
 court. Baker had provided himself with a stool. 
 
 It was not long before the king, true to his natural 
 instincts, commenced begging, and being much struck 
 with the Highland costume, he demanded it as a proof 
 of friendship. The watch, the compass, and the double 
 Fletcher rifle were again asked for, but all were steadily 
 refused. Baker was carried back to Kisoona. He 
 could not now quit the country for some considerable 
 time, and therefore constructed "a comfortable little 
 hut," surrounded by a courtyard strongly fenced, in 
 which he arranged a Kakooba, or open shed, in which 
 to sit during the hottest hours of the day. He had 
 procured a cow from Kamrasi, which gave plenty of 
 milk, and every week the king sent an ox and a 
 quantity of flour, and the whole party soon exhibited 
 signs that they had now escaped from starvation. Of 
 course his majesty took good care that he should be 
 reimbursed by means of many demanded presents. 
 He paid frequent visits to the dwelling of the traveller ; 
 
SIK SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 335 
 
 but by no means raised himself in the estimation of 
 those whose hut he thus condescended to honour. 
 Much disturbance, anxiety, and inconvenience were 
 occasioned by the war, in which Baker persistently 
 refused to join. On one occasion, the enemy came 
 near the encampment at which the party was living 
 under the protection of the king; and Baker then 
 hoisted the British flag on a staff which he had erected 
 in his courtyard, and declared Kamrasi to be his 
 friend, and that if any one injured him or his people 
 under that flag, he (Baker) would avenge the wrong. 
 He would defend, but he would not attack; and the 
 foe retreated. Kamrasi changed his camping-ground, 
 but Baker refused to follow, and, being now left alone 
 with his own party, he, with much diflSculty and no 
 small danger on account of these hostilities, moved 
 onwards on his way to Gondokoro, and home. 
 
 Some months were passed at Shooa, on the way. 
 He found that the Turks had discovered a new country 
 called Tira, about thirty miles from Shooa. The 
 natives were reported as very friendly, and their 
 country was extremely fertile, and rich in ivory. Many 
 of their people had returned with the Turks and were 
 located in their camp. But they were also at war with 
 their neighbours, and hence it became still more difficult 
 to procure porters for Gondokoro. 
 
 But the hour of deliverance from this lengthened 
 sojourn in Central Africa was at hand — it was the 
 month of February, and the boats would now be at 
 Gondokoro, The Turks had packed their ivory. Baker 
 counted their loads — six hundred and forty in number, 
 fifty pounds each, and equal to about 9,630?. when 
 
336 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 delivered in Egypt — a good result from their twelve 
 months' campaign. Starting on their journey, they 
 were attacked several times by the natives, who shot 
 poisoned arrows at them, but both the traders and the 
 travellers escaped unharmed. Approaching Gondokoro, 
 Baker mounted the English flag on a fine straight 
 bamboo with a lance-head, and marched forward. Never 
 had the oxen travelled so fast as on that morning, and 
 the men in good spirits followed at a double quick pace. 
 " I see the masts of vessels ! " exclaimed the boy Saat. 
 " Hurrah ! " said Baker, " three cheers for old England 
 and the sources of the Nile ! Hurrah ! " and the men 
 joined him in the lusty cheer. "Now for a salute! 
 Fire away all your powder if you like, my lads, and 
 let the people know that we're alive ! " Presently they 
 saw the Turkish flag emerge from Gondokoro, at about 
 a quarter of a mile distant, followed by a number of 
 the traders' people, who waited to receive them. This 
 terminated the expedition. Alas! they were bitterly 
 disappointed ! There were awaiting them no boats, no 
 letters, no supplies, nor any intelligence of friends or 
 the civilised world. They had long since been given up 
 as dead by the inhabitants of Khartum, and by all who 
 understood the difficulties and dangers of the country. 
 They were told that some had suggested that they might 
 possibly have gone to Zanzibar, but the general opinion 
 was that they had all been killed. They had looked 
 forward to arriving at Gondokoro as at a home ; they had 
 expected that a boat would have been sent on the chance 
 of finding them, and money had been left in the hands 
 of an agent in Khartum — but there was literally nothing 
 to receive them, and they were helpless. 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 337 
 
 The plague was raging at Khartum, and fifteen 
 thousand people had died. It had even reached Gondo- 
 koro, and people died daily. They succeeded at length 
 in procuring a boat, and left for Khartum. Poor Saat, 
 who had been devoted and true, was seized by the 
 plague and died on the way. They laid his remains, 
 in much sorrow, on the desert shore. They found 
 letters awaiting them at Khartum, which cheered 
 them ; but the people of the place had indeed given 
 them up for lost. There, as at Gondokoro, they found 
 thousands of slaves — slavery is the curse of those 
 towns and countries. On the 1st of July they sailed 
 from Khartum for Berber. They were nearly lost at 
 the passage of the cataracts ; but saved their lives and 
 their papers, and much of their trophies and goods. 
 Their voyage lasted twenty-four days. Arriving at Sou- 
 akim, after a fortnight's waiting they found a steam 
 transport which had brought troops about to return 
 immediately to Suez ; and availing themselves of this 
 opportunity, they reached that port in five days. 
 Landing from the steamer, they once more found 
 themselves in an English hotel. " What an elysium ! 
 The beds had sheets and pillow-cases ! " neither of which 
 they had possessed for years. 
 
 Reaching Cairo he received letters from England, 
 which had been waiting at the British Consulate ; and 
 the first he opened informed him that the Boyal 
 Geographical Society had awarded him the Victoria 
 gold medal, at a time when they were not aware 
 whether he was alive or dead, and when the success 
 of his expedition was unknown. *' This appreciation 
 of my exertions," he says, " was the warmest welcome I 
 
338 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 could have received on my first entrance into civilisa- 
 tion after so many years of savagedom : it rendered the 
 completion of the Nile sources doubly grateful, as I 
 had fulfilled the expectations that the Geographical 
 Society had so generously expressed by the presentation 
 of the medal he/ore my task was done." 
 
 He was received in England with much honour, as 
 was well his due. He was knighted, and is now also 
 distinguished by the Turkish title of Pasha. Sir 
 Samuel and Lady Baker have again traversed the wilds 
 of Central Africa, and again returned. 
 
 It was rumoured in this country, some time ago, that 
 Sir Samuel and his lady had been murdered ; but to 
 the relief of their many friends, it was soon afterwards 
 proved that that was not the fact; and in May 1873 
 a communication was received at the Foreign Office, 
 from the traveller himself. In distinction from the 
 practice of other explorers, Baker has been accustomed, 
 when a good end seemed likely to be gained, to claim 
 certain countries as his and England's, by right of 
 discovery, and to hoist the British flag. Since he is 
 invested, as he now is, with a sort of semi-consular 
 authority, there is no great impropriety in his doing 
 so. It is our duty to introduce a better state of things 
 wherever we go. But, as it is, the condition of inter- 
 national law in Inner Africa is somewhat peculiar, 
 both among chiefs and people. 
 
 " The good old rule 
 Sufficeth them — the simple plan, 
 That they should take, who have the power, 
 And they should keep who can." 
 
 WoEDSwoKTH, Rob Boy's Grave. 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 339 
 
 We are told that his last mission has been entirely 
 successful ; that, in his capacity of representative of 
 the Khedive, he has not only annexed the Nile basin 
 as far as the Equator to the Egyptian dominions? 
 but, more important still, has succeeded in putting 
 down the slave-trade in that whole territory. A 
 strong government has been establishefl, tranquillity 
 restored, and the way rendered safe to travellers as 
 far as Zanzibar. This is a great achievement, and raises 
 our countryman and his not less brave and adventurous 
 partner to a high place among the benefactors of 
 humanity. 
 
 The details of Sir Samuel's last journey will, of 
 course, not be fully known till he himself has pub- 
 lished his account of his travels. Without doubt, that 
 account will be deeply interesting. 
 
 Central Africa, into which he went, is a country 
 which is unlike every other. It is cut off from all 
 communication with the rest of the world. There are 
 no vestiges of the past, no ancient architecture, no 
 sculpture, not even one chiselled stone to prove that 
 the Negro savage of this day is inferior to any of his 
 remote ancestors. We must, therefore, conclude that 
 the race of men now inhabiting this portion of the 
 globe are unchanged from the prehistoric period of the 
 original inhabitants. Respecting this region our know- 
 ledge has been greatly enlarged during the thirty 
 years which have preceded 1873. Livingstone, Burton, 
 Speke, Grant, and Baker, in Central Africa proper, 
 Petherick in the territory to the west of the White 
 Nile, and D'Arnaud, who commanded the expedition 
 of Mehemet Ali Pasha, in search of the sources of 
 
340 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 the great river, have largely contributed to this increase 
 of information. 
 
 Although several Europeans had reached Gondokoro 
 before 1863, Baker, in that year, was the first English- 
 man who had visited it. He there, as has elsewhere 
 been narrated, met his friends Speke and Grant. On 
 his return to England in 1867, after his discovery of 
 the Albert N'Yanza, the summary of discovery as made 
 by Speke, Grant, and himself, amounted to this: — 
 Instead of the sterile desert hitherto shown upon the 
 map, Central Africa was a magnificent country, rising 
 to a mean level of five thousand feet above the sea. 
 From the elevated plateaux mountains rose to various 
 altitudes ; the climate was healthy, the soil extremely 
 fertile, the landscape very beautiful, the rainfall 
 extended over nine or ten months of the year, the 
 country was well-watered by numerous streams, the 
 population was in many districts large, and where 
 the slavers had not penetrated the natives were well- 
 disposed. There were all the desiderata for a great 
 forward movement. The Nile was navigable for large 
 vessels as far as Gondokoro — one thousand four hundred 
 and fifty miles by river from Khartum. The forests on 
 the banks of the stream would supply fuel without 
 expense for the steamers required. The supply of 
 ivory appeared to be inexhaustible. Valuable fibres 
 existed, and the preparation of these appeared to 
 be understood by the natives. The highlands were 
 especially adapted for the cultivation of coffee, while 
 the lowlands were peculiarly suitable for cotton, 
 w^hich is now grown by the Shillock tribe in consider- 
 able quantities. 
 
SIE SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 341 
 
 Unfortunately, this beautiful country was subject to 
 a blight which had resulted from its discovery by 
 Egypt. Under the pretence of trading in ivory, 
 immense numbers of slave-hunters from Sudan bad 
 organised themselves as piratical bands to pillage the 
 natives, and kidnap the women and children to 
 be sold in Khartum as slaves. Baker estimates that 
 fifty thousand slaves have, for years, been annually 
 carried down the Nile, closely packed in small vessels 
 of about forty or fifty tons, to the number of two 
 hundred and fifty or more on each ship. The horroi s 
 of the traffic have been frightful. 
 
 The Viceroy of Egypt determined to suppress this 
 crying evil. In this determination he was supported 
 by his Koyal Highness the Prince of Wales, who took a 
 lively interest in slave emancipation during his tour in 
 Egypt. With this object in view Baker was com- 
 municated with by the Khedive, who laid before him 
 a plan for the eradication of the slave-trade. The first 
 step which was considered necessary, was the establish- 
 ment of a government which would exhibit the authority 
 of Egypt in those countries which had hitherto been 
 devastated by the slave-hunters. 
 
 Baker being commissioned by the Viceroy, and 
 furnished with the necessary Egyptian soldiers, accom- 
 panied by his lady wife, his nephew Lieutenant Baker, 
 and seven English engineers, entered with enthusiasm 
 into this enterprise. He was now a pasha of Egypt, 
 and sought to establish the authority of the Khedive, 
 without degrading the native chiefs. But many 
 difficulties beset his path. When he reached Mosindi, 
 which is a point near the head villages of the chiefs 
 
342 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 Kabriki and Kamrasi, he found that the ivory and 
 slave traders had spread all kinds of evil rumours 
 about his expedition, inflaming the native tribes 
 against it. Kabriki had been told that Baker Pasha 
 was coming at the head of an Egyptian army to take 
 forcible possession of his country, and annex it to 
 Egypt, with the view of exacting heavy taxes and 
 tributes, and carrying away the people. It was 
 accordingly agreed, between the traders and the Negro 
 chiefs, to murder Baker if possible, and by every 
 means to prevent the progress of the Egyptian 
 soldiers. 
 
 Shortly after he had arrived with a portion of his 
 men at Mosindi, Kabriki, according to African 
 custom, sent him a present of ten jars of pombe. This 
 liquor was heavily charged with poison, and all who 
 partook of it were suddenly seized witli severe illness. 
 But by administering strong antidotes, the poison was 
 neutralised in every case, and no lives were lost. 
 Baker then despatched some of his officers as messengers 
 to demand why the poisoned beer had been sent into 
 his camp ; but as soon as they entered his village, 
 Kabriki ordered them to be killed, and they were all 
 immediately murdered in cold blood. War was then 
 proclaimed ; the chief beating his great drums, and 
 ordering a levy of ten thousand warriors. A large 
 body of them attacked the traveller, who had only 
 about a hundred Egyptian troops with him. These 
 men were all greatly fatigued with the long journey 
 into the interior, and some of them were still suffering 
 from the effects of the poisoned drink. It was, there- 
 fore, necessary that Baker should beat a retreat before 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKEE. 343 
 
 the swarms of enemies assailing him, and he retired 
 after burning his camp and heavy baggage. During 
 seven days of great danger and hardship, the backward 
 march of the Egyptians was sorely harassed, and 
 as many as thirty men were left dead on the route. 
 At the end of this perilous week, they came to the 
 province of Bewinka, a chief hostile to Kabriki, and 
 welcome assistance was then obtained. The pursuit had 
 been already abandoned ; but with a view to punish 
 Kabriki, it was arranged that Bewinka should supply 
 two thousand armed men, and that these with a portion 
 of Baker's own force should return towards Mosindi and 
 attack the enemy. Baker promised that if this expe- 
 dition was successful, Bewinka should be appointed 
 governor of his own and Kabriki's district in the name 
 of the Viceroy of Egypt. With the remainder of his 
 men Baker then returned northwards, but in passing 
 through one of the villages was fired upon by the 
 slave-traders who were located there. He thus lost 
 thirty of his soldiers. But the attack was successfully 
 repelled — a hundred and forty of the slavers' party 
 were slain, and many prisoners were taken. The 
 captives explained that the orders of their masters and 
 of the chiefs friendly to them were, to kill " the 
 Nazarene " — meaning Baker — wherever and whenever 
 they could. 
 
 This chastisement cleared the whole country about 
 Gondokoro, and down towards Bewinka's territory. 
 After a season of repose, which was imperatively 
 needed, Baker began systematically to organise the 
 districts which were in his possession. He made 
 Fatiko the chief town of the new territory, and 
 
344 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 appointed superintendents at the other stations. Be- 
 fore long the natives settled peacefully under the new 
 government, and appeared well satisfied with the safety 
 and quiet which it afforded. The light tribute exacted 
 of a basket of bread and a bundle of grass per month 
 for each hut was paid willingly and regularly ; and 
 when Sir Samuel went finally northwards, the people of 
 Fatiko gave him the heartiest of adieus, calling him 
 " father " and " master," and looking upon him as their 
 future protector. 
 
 Next to Fatiko, the chief station of the new territory 
 will be Gondokoro. Eight more spots have been 
 marked out as principal posts, and these will constitute 
 a chain leading from Nubia to the Albert N'Yanza. 
 A thousand additional troops have been sent to 
 garrison these stations. Baker says that the slave- 
 traffic is now impossible in the territory of the White 
 Nile, and that a stable government is established in the 
 very centre of Africa. Three small steamers were in- 
 tended to be transported in pieces to the great lakes on 
 the backs of camels, and are now, in all probability, 
 plying on these immense waters. There are, at the 
 present time, eleven steamers carrying on traffic on 
 the White Nile above Khartum ; and the Viceroy is 
 commencing a railway to connect Cairo with Sudan. 
 In all these signs of progress, the traveller is hopeful ; 
 but, in his judgment, much, very much, depends upon 
 the countenance which is given them by England. 
 England is the tried friend of freedom, and the 
 proved enemy of the slave-trade. Let her continue 
 to give her countenance to these arrangements, and 
 that trade is gone for ever — let her be indifferent, 
 
SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 345 
 
 and it will return as a cancer which has vainly been 
 extirpated. 
 
 As to the geographical discovery of this expedition, 
 Sir Samuel is persuaded that Lakes Tanganyika and 
 Albert N'Yanza are one, having thus a length of not 
 less than seven hundred miles, and that a vessel can 
 be launched near Murchison Falls, at the head of the 
 N'Yanza, and sail to Ujiji, or lower, through ten degrees 
 of latitude. But for details we must wait for the 
 traveller's own report of his journey. 
 
346 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 Equatorial Africa is no longer a blank in oar maps. 
 Many of its countries and political divisions have been 
 ascertained with tolerable certainty, and the positions 
 of some of its mountains and rivers partially defined ; 
 but the gi-eat lake discoveries, more than any other, 
 have excited the interest of Europe. All our pre- 
 conceived notions of the interior of Africa have been 
 changed, if not reversed. These discoveries have been 
 made chiefly from the eastern coast. The missionaries 
 Krapf and Rebmann, whose station w^as at Mombas, a 
 few leagues to the east of Zanzibar, although they did 
 not greatly enlarge our knowledge, yet were the pre- 
 cursors of Burton and Speke in those more extensive 
 explorations, the results of which have so honourably 
 distinguished their names. Dr. Livingstone operated 
 in a different region on the same side of the continent, 
 and his travels have contributed in no small measure 
 to our acquaintance with the countries which he visited. 
 Africa was first crossed by Livingstone from Mozam- 
 bique, on the Indian Ocean, to Loanda, a Portuguese 
 settlement on the shores of the Atlantic, in 1855. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 347 
 
 This achievement was followed by the exploration of 
 Captains Speke and Grant, from the shores of the 
 Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Livingstone's 
 discoveries have made known to us a large portion of 
 Africa as to which our information was . previously but 
 scanty. He was the first European who ever crossed 
 the African continent from its eastern to its western 
 shore. He found the great River Zambesi far in the 
 interior, where its existence was not known even to 
 the Portuguese, and he was the first who visited its 
 great cataracts, which he named the Victoria Falls. He 
 is also the discoverer of the great Nyassa Lake and the 
 Shirwa, at least in the sense of being the first European 
 who visited them and fixed their geographical positions. 
 He collected an immense amount of information re- 
 specting the manners, character, and habits of the 
 people, forming lasting friendships with several of their 
 chiefs, acquiring some knowledge of the languages of 
 their countries, quietly stating and explaining the great 
 truths of religion, and laying the foundation of a more 
 regular intercourse for which he intended to prepare 
 the way. 
 
 The London Missionary Society deputed Livingstone 
 to seek for a suitable place for the location of a 
 permanent establishment in the interior, and he as- 
 certained that the highlands on the borders of the 
 great basin of the Zambesi were comparatively healthy. 
 The character of the population, moreover, appeared to 
 be eminently favourable for the making of an experi- 
 ment for the improvement of their social state, and for 
 their ultimate conversion to Christianity. His repre- 
 sentations, when he returned to England, so enlisted 
 
 2 A 2 
 
348 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 the public feeling and the confidence of the Govern- 
 ment that he was appointed Consul for South-eastern 
 Africa, and this appointment gave to his second 
 expedition the prestige of a national enterprise. His 
 instructions bore that he was to endeavour to extend 
 the knowledge already attained of the geography and 
 the mineral and agricultural resources of Eastern and 
 Central Africa, to improve his acquaintance with the 
 inhabitants, and to encourage them to apply themselves 
 to industrial pursuits and the cultivation of their land, 
 with a view to the production of raw material which 
 might be exported to England in return for British 
 manufactures. It was also expected that such a course 
 might aid in the extinction of the slave-trade, which 
 has always been so great an obstacle to improvement. 
 Livingstone's narrative in connection- with this expe- 
 dition embraces the years 1858-1864. 
 
 The exploration of the Zambesi being the primary 
 object of the expedition, the traveller was furnished 
 with a small steam launch, the Ma Bohert, which was 
 sent out from England in sections, and put together 
 at the anchorage at the mouth of the Zambesi; but 
 this intended help, from the imperfection of its con- 
 struction, proved a hindrance in the progress up the 
 river. He was accompanied by Dr. Kirk, Mr. Charles 
 Livingstone, Mr. E. Thornton, and others. 
 
 The delta of the Zambesi marks it as one of the 
 most important rivers in Africa. The whole range ol 
 coast from the Luabo Channel to Quillimane really 
 belongs to that river, for the Quillimane is in fact only 
 a branch of the Zambesi, which takes a direction due 
 east at about sixteen degrees south latitude. Between 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 349 
 
 the most westerly entrance to the Zambesi and Quilli- 
 mane, not less than seven subsidiary streams pour their 
 waters into the Indian Ocean. This vast delta far 
 surpasses that of the Nile, and, if properly cultivated, 
 would undoubtedly equal it in fertility. The Zambesi 
 itself almost rivals in magnitude the great river of 
 Egypt, and in some respects considerably resembles it. 
 Like the Nile, it has its great annual flood, overflowing 
 and fertilising the surrounding country. It has also 
 its falls, cataracts, and shallows, which present obstacles 
 to continuous navigation. The perpendicular rise of 
 the Zambesi, in a portion of its course where it is 
 compressed between lofty hills, is eighty feet. In the 
 dry season there are parts of the river where it is 
 only eighteen inches of water. Livingstone's party had 
 repeatedly to drag their steamer over such shallows. 
 To navigate the river throughout the whole year vessels 
 of only eighteen inches' draught would be required ; but, 
 in the flood season, the cataracts are obliterated by the 
 rise of the waters, and steamers of considerable burden 
 could be used, the rapidity of the current, however, 
 demanding a high amount of power. In the long 
 spaces between the cataracts vessels of not a few feet 
 draught might ply at almost any time ; but this would 
 imply loading and unloading, and a considerable number 
 of such vessels working in connection. 
 
 The delta reaches from eighty to a hundred miles 
 inland, and the soil is so rich that cotton might be 
 cultivated to an immense extent; while there is an 
 area, eighty miles in length and fifty in breadth, which, 
 Livingstone says, would, if properly treated, supply the 
 whole of Europe with sugar. Sandbanks and rapids 
 
350 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 mucli impeded the progress of the little steamer at 
 certain points, while the amount of fuel consumed was 
 enormous, said fuel consisting of blocks of the finest 
 ebony and lignum vitae, of a quality that would bring six 
 pounds per ton in England. In spite of all this, even the 
 heavy-laden native canoes gained upon the asthmatic 
 little craft, which puffed and panted after them in vain. 
 
 The scenery is not interesting in the lower course of 
 the river — it is a dreary uninhabited expanse of grassy 
 plains, with the round green tops of the stately palm- 
 trees, at a distance, having the appearance of being 
 suspended in the air. The broad river has many low 
 islands, on which are to be seen large flocks of water- 
 fowl, such as geese, spoonbills, herons, and flamingoes ; 
 repulsive crocodiles, with open jaws, sleep and bask in 
 the sun on the low banks, and, hearing any unwonted 
 sound, glide quietly into the stream. "The hippo- 
 potamus, having selected some still reach of the river 
 to spend the day in, rises from the bottom, where he 
 has been enjoying his morning bath after the labours of 
 the night on shore, blows a puff of spray out of his nostrils, 
 shakes the water out of his ears, puts up his enormous 
 snout and yawns, sounding a loud alarm to the rest of the 
 herd, if he should feel that there is any occasion, his 
 notes being like those of a monster bassoon." 
 
 By means of this expedition we have obtained much 
 information respecting the geology, botany, ornithology, 
 and zoology of the districts which have been surveyed. 
 We are now, moreover, better acquainted with the 
 native tribes, their languages, habits, state of civilisa- 
 tion, and religion, than we were before. The various 
 parts which were visited are brought vividly before us. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 351 
 
 The scenery of Southern Africa is peculiar to itself. 
 Trees, plants, beasts, birds, and insects are all strange ; 
 even the sky has a different colour, and at night the 
 heavens glitter with other constellations. 
 
 In the upper course of the Zambesi, and among the 
 hills, the scenery is very striking, and it is rendered 
 still more so by the variety and beauty of the birds : — 
 
 "The birds, from the novelty of their notes and 
 plumage, arrest the attention of a traveller, perhaps 
 more than the peculiarities of the scenery. The dark 
 woods resound with the lively and exultant song of 
 tlie kinghunter {Halcyon striolata), as he sits perched 
 on high among the trees. As the steamer moves on 
 through the winding channel, a pretty little heron or 
 bright kingfisher darts out in alarm from the edge of 
 the bank, flies on ahead a short distance, and settles 
 quietly down, to be again frightened off in a few 
 seconds as we approach. The magnificent fish-hawk 
 (Halisetus vocifer) sits on the top of a mangrove-tree, 
 digesting his morning meal, and is clearly unwilling to 
 stir until the imminence of danger compels him at last 
 to spread his great wings for flight. The glossy ibis, 
 acute of ear to a remarkable degree, hears from afar 
 the unwonted sound of the paddles, and, springing from 
 the mud where his family has been quietly feasting, is 
 ofi", screaming out his loud, harsh, and defiant ha ! ha ! 
 ha ! long before the danger is near. 
 
 " The winter birds of passage, guch as the yellow 
 wagtail and blue arongo shrikes, have all gone, and 
 other kinds have come ; the brown kite with his piping 
 like a boatswain's whistle, the spotted cuckoo with a 
 call like ' pula,' and the roller and hornbill with their 
 
352 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 loud high notes, are occasionally distinctly heard, 
 though generally this harsher music is half drowned in 
 the volume of sweet sounds poured forth from many a 
 throbbing throat, which makes an African Christmas 
 seem like an English May. Some birds of the weaver 
 kind have laid aside their winter garments of a sober 
 brown, and appear in a gay summer dress of scarlet 
 and jet black ; others have passed from green to bright 
 yellow with patches like black velvet. The brisk 
 little cock whydah-bird with a pink bill, after assuming 
 his summer garb of black and white, has graceful 
 plumes attached to his new coat; his finery, as some 
 believe, is to please at least seven hen birds with which 
 lie is said to live. Birds of song are not entirely 
 confined to villages ; but they have in Africa been so 
 often observed to congregate around villages, as to 
 produce the impression that song and beauty may have 
 been intended to please the eye and ear of man, for it 
 is only when we approach the haunts of men that we 
 know that the time of the singing of birds is come. A 
 red-throated black weaver bird comes in flocks a little 
 later, wearing a long train of magnificent plumes, 
 which seem to be greatly in his way when working for 
 his dinner among the long grass. A goatsucker or 
 night-jar (Cometornis vexillarius), only ten inches long 
 from head to tail, also attracts the eye in November 
 by a couple of feathers twenty-six inches long in the 
 middle of each wing, the ninth and tenth from the 
 outside. They give a slow wavy motion to the wings, 
 and evidently retard his flight, for at other times he 
 flies so quick that no boy could hit him with a stone. 
 The natives can kill a hare by throwing a club, and 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 353 
 
 make good running shots, but no one ever struck a 
 night-jar in common dress, though in the evening 
 twilight they settle close to one's feet. AYhat may.be 
 the object of the flight of the male bird being retarded 
 we cannot tell. The males alone possess these feathers, 
 and only for a time." 
 
 The honey-guide is remarkable for its peculiar 
 intelligence : — How is it that every member of its 
 family has learned that all men, white or black, are 
 fond of honey ! The instant the little fellow gets a 
 glimpse of a man, he hastens to greet him with the 
 hearty invitation to come to a bees'-hive and take some 
 honey. He flies on in the proper direction, perches on 
 a tree, and looks back to see if you are following ; then 
 on to another and another, until he guides you to the 
 spot. If you do not accept his first invitation, he 
 follows you with pressing importunities, quite as 
 anxious to lure the stranger to the bees'-hive as other 
 birds are to draw him away from their own nests. 
 Except when on the march, our men were sure to 
 accept the invitation, and manifested their acquiescence 
 by a peculiar responsive whistle, meaning, as they said, 
 * All right, go ahead ; we are coming.' The bird never 
 deceived them, but always guided them to a hive of 
 bees, though some had but little honey in store." 
 
 The bird which guards the buffalo and the rhinoceros 
 is also very intelligent : " The grass is often so tall 
 and dense that one could go close up to these animals 
 quite unpep^sived ; but the guardian bird, sitting on 
 the beast, sees the approach of danger, flaps its wings 
 and screams, which causes its bulky charge to rush off 
 from a foe he has neither seen nor heard; for his 
 
354 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 reward the vigilant little watcher has the pick of the 
 parasites of his fat friend." 
 
 The Portuguese have two stations or forts on the 
 Zambesi — one at Senna, the other at Tette ; but they 
 hold them by sufferance rather than by prestige or 
 power, for they have to pay a kind of blackmail in 
 presents to the neighbouring tribes for permission to 
 reside in the country ; nor do the commercial advan- 
 tages of these settlements appear to compensate for the 
 cost of their maintenance. Yet the natural resources 
 of the district are very great. Indigo grows wild on 
 the banks of the river, and the streets of Tette are 
 overgrown with the plant as a weed. The sugar-cane 
 thrives abundantly almost in a state of wildness. 
 Caoutchouc and calumba-root, used as a mordant for 
 colours, are found in great plenty. Iron ore is worked 
 by the natives, and excellent coal is found in large 
 quantity, there being one seam which was seen crop- 
 ping out on the banks of the river, which measures five 
 feet in thickness. The produce of the gold- washings 
 on the Zambesi was at one time considerable, but the 
 tributaries have never been " prospected," nor has any 
 but the rudest machinery ever been used. 
 
 After the discovery of the great Nyassa Lake, the 
 most interesting part of this journey was the explora- 
 tion of the river Shire, which is the great northern tri- 
 butary of the Zambesi, and which joins it at about a 
 hundred miles from the sea. The Portuguese do not 
 seem to have known anything of this stream, neither 
 is it supposed to have ever before been ascended 
 by Europeans. Beyond a doubt, the Lake Shirwa 
 had remained unknown to them. The natives in the 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 355 
 
 vicinity of the lake, which is not far from the bank of 
 the river, had never heard of the existence of white 
 men ; and when the exploring party first appeared, the 
 men were excessively timid, the women fled into the 
 huts and closed the doors, and even the hens took 
 wing and left their chickens in dismay. Having 
 ascended the river for a hundred miles, the further 
 progress of the party was prevented by cataracts, 
 which Dr. Livingstone named after the President of 
 the Eoyal Geographical Society. It was not considered 
 prudent, on the occasion of a first visit, to push beyond 
 the Murchison Cataracts. 
 
 There was a second excursion up the Shire in 1859. 
 The people showed less alarm, and Chibisa, the chief of 
 the most important of the tribes, at once entered into 
 friendly negotiations, showing considerable intelligence, 
 shrewdness, and good feeliug. He was a firm believer 
 in the special bestowment of Divine favour upon kings. 
 Before his father died, he said, he was but a common 
 man ; but whenever he succeeded to his high office, he 
 was conscious of power passing into his head and down 
 his back. He felt it enter, and then he knew that he 
 was a chief possessed of wisdom and invested with 
 authority. 
 
 Having left their steamer, Dr. Livingstone and Dr. 
 Kirk, accompanied by a party of natives, proceeded on 
 foot to the Lake Shirwa, which they found to be a 
 large body of water, bitter and sliglitly brackish, 
 abounding in fish, crocodiles, and hippopotami. The 
 lake is surrounded by lofty mountains, has no outlet, 
 and is thirty miles broad and sixty long. It is about 
 eighteen hundred feet above the level of the sea. It is 
 
356 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 separated from the great Lake Nyassa by a narrow 
 point of land over which the surplus water of the 
 Shirwa probably runs in seasons of flood. 
 
 The river Shire is not so wide as the Zambesi, but it 
 is deeper, and is more easily navigated. Its depth is 
 not less than five feet, at all seasons of the year, for a 
 distance of two hundred miles from the sea, and it 
 drains an exceedingly fertile valley flanked by finely- 
 wooded hills. In some places the stream runs with 
 great velocity, thus furnishing a water power which 
 might be extensively utihsed. Dr. Livingstone, in all 
 his travels, has not anywhere observed so large an 
 extent and so high a degree of cultivation. Maize, 
 yams, hemp, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, peas, sugar- 
 cane, lemons, ginger, tobacco, and cotton abounded ; 
 and he is of opinion that the capability of the 
 country for the production of cotton can scarcely be 
 exaggerated. He sent samples to Manchester, where it 
 has been pronounced to be of the finest quality, and 
 300 lbs. of clean cotton wool were purchased for less 
 than a penny per pound. It also appears that free 
 labour is as easily procured here as in any country in 
 the world. It would be difficult to over-estimate the 
 importance of Dr. Livingstone's discovery of this rich 
 and densely populated district, with its great navigable 
 river. In a despatch to the Foreign OfSce he says, 
 " We have opened a cotton and sugar district of great 
 and unknown extent, and which really seems to afford 
 reasonable prospect of great commercial benefit to our 
 own country ; it presents facilities for commanding a 
 large section of the slave-market on the coast, and 
 offers a fair hope of its suppression by lawful commerce.'* 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 357 
 
 In the basin of the Shh-e there is a series of terraces 
 — the first being below the Murchison Falls ; the second 
 is a plateau of two thousand, and the third of three 
 thousand, feet of elevation. There must therefore be 
 a great variety of climate ; but cotton is extensively 
 cultivated on all the terraces, and the people were to 
 be observed everywhere picking, cleaning, or spinning 
 it. The inhabitants of this district Jaave no cattle, but 
 the number of wild animals is prodigious, and great 
 herds of elephants roam over the marshes and plains. 
 
 It was on one of the elevated plateaux of the Shire 
 valley that the enterprise known as the Universities' 
 Mission had its first station, and here was the residence 
 of the late lamented Bishop Mackenzie. The remains 
 of this most devoted man lie under the shade of one 
 of the giants of the African forest, and within a few 
 yards, of the rippling waters of the Shire. Any man, 
 however well-meaning, may fall into mistake. Taking 
 a false estimate of his position, this zealous Christian 
 pastor unhappily gave an active armed support to a 
 tribe which had been attacked by another with the 
 determination of reducing it to slavery. He thus 
 engaged in a native war, and converted a religious 
 mission, the only object of which was to instruct and 
 civilise the people, into an association for the forcible 
 liberation of slaves. But the country was at the time 
 in a chronic state of warfare on account of the slave- 
 trade, and therefore utterly unsuited to the purpose of 
 the benevolent missionary experiment projected by the 
 Universities. The attempt was therefore abandoned 
 a few months after the death of Bishop Mackenzie by 
 fever, there having been many privations and much 
 
358 AFRICA. 
 
 suffering endured by all the agents, as well as tlie loss 
 of several valuable lives. 
 
 Dr. Livingstone's discovery of the great Lake Nyassa 
 gives him a high place among African explorers, even 
 if he had accomplished nothing more. Captain Burton 
 would have first reached it, if he had not been misled 
 by erroneous reports; for, having been told by the 
 natives that the lake which he had been directed by 
 his instructions to seek was small and unimportant, he 
 changed his course from west to north-west, and thus 
 came upon the Lake Tanganyika instead. The journey 
 to the Nyassa was accomplished by an overland march 
 of twenty days from the Shire. The southern end of 
 the lake extends to 14° 25' south latitude. The stay of 
 the travellers at the lake on the occasion of their first 
 visit was short. They found it to be in the very centre 
 of a district which supplies the markets of the south 
 coast with slaves. A second visit was made in the 
 following year. The length of the lake is two hundred 
 miles and the breadth of it above fifty. It is liable to 
 sudden and violent storms, in one of which the tra- 
 vellers were nearly shipwrecked. Its depth is so much 
 the same throughout the whole year that there is only 
 a difference of three feet between its highest and its 
 lowest condition, although it receives the waters of 
 five rivers on its western side. The principal affluent 
 is at the northern extremity. 
 
 The travellers had never before in Africa seen any- 
 thing like so dense a population as they found on the 
 shores of this lake ; there is an almost unbroken chain 
 of villages towards the southern end of it. Crowds 
 assembled to gaze on the unwonted spectacle of a boat 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 359 
 
 under sail ; and whenever the explorers landed, they 
 were surrounded by men, women, and children, all 
 eager to see the "chirombo," or wild animals, feed. 
 The arrival of white men in one of the villages of 
 the Nyassa excited such an interest as would be 
 occasioned by the appearing of a hippopotamus on the 
 banks of the Thames. But these people were inoffensive 
 in their curiosity, seldom doing more than slily lifting 
 the edges of the tent and peeping in. 
 
 On the banks of the Nyassa great care is bestowed 
 on the graves of the dead. The burying-grounds are 
 well protected ; there are wide paths through them ; 
 and great fig-trees cast their deep shadows over these 
 places of mortal repose. The graves of the sexes were 
 distinguished by the various implements or utensils 
 which their occupants had used during life ; but they 
 were all broken. A piece of net or a broken paddle 
 told that a fisherman slept below ; and the graves of 
 women were marked by the wooden mortar and heavy 
 pestle which are used in pounding corn, or by the 
 basket in which the meal is sifted. All had placed 
 over them fractured calabashes and pots to signify 
 that now the need of daily food was at an end for 
 ever. 
 
 The chiefs of the district were remarkable for their 
 courtesy and the delicacy of their good breeding. One 
 of them whom the travellers found in his stockade, 
 entered frankly and politely into conversation with 
 them, and not only pressed food upon them, but, pointing 
 to his iron bracelet, richly inlaid with copper, inquired, 
 " Do they wear such things in your country ? " and on 
 being told that they were unknown, immediately took 
 
360 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 it from liis arm and presented it to Dr. Livingstone, 
 his wife doing the same with hers. 
 
 In their own country, the African is not generally 
 deficient in the virtue of industry. The exploring party 
 found the land well-cultivated in all these districts. 
 Bishop Mackenzie says, " I came out here to teach 
 these people agriculture, but I find they know far more 
 about it than I do." In the whole country, men, women 
 and boys were all eager to work in the fields for hire ; 
 and indeed not in the fields only, but to be hired for 
 any description of labour which they could accomplish. 
 One of the exploring party, for example, had a tattered 
 pair of trousers, and one leg of these purchased the 
 services of a man to carry a heavy load for a whole day, 
 and he thought himself well enough paid ; on the second 
 day another man was hired for the other leg ; and the 
 remains of the garment, including the buttons, secured 
 the services of another for the third. The fruitfiilness 
 of the country renders work in the fields very light, and 
 the task of subsistence is far from difficult. 
 
 The manufacture of iron tools is the staple industry 
 of the highlands of the Nyassa. Every village has its 
 smelting-house, charcoal burners, and blacksmiths, who 
 make the bracelets and anklets in general use. British 
 iron is not esteemed, and is pronounced rotten." Spe- 
 cimens of hoes have been pronounced in Birmingham 
 to be nearly equal to the best Swedish iron, and the 
 metal was found to be of so high a quality that an 
 Enfield rifle w^as made of it. Pottery is also manufactured 
 in the villages round the Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, and 
 in other places. 
 
 In those districts to which the slave-trade had not 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 361 
 
 penetrated, the social and political state of the country 
 visited by Dr. Livingstone and his party presented a 
 marked contrast to the Western Coast of Africa, and to 
 the eastern region traversed by Burton and Speke. The 
 Makololo are the most intelligent of all the tribes 
 inhabiting tlie region of the Zambesi. Polygamy is 
 universal in this part of Africa, and the women warmly 
 approve of it. But the husbands are considerably hen- 
 pecked. The travellers, endeavouring on one occasion 
 to purchase a goat, had nearly concluded the bargain, 
 when a wife came forward and said to her husband, 
 You appear as if you were unmarried, selling a goat 
 without consulting your wife ! What sort of a man are 
 you?" The party tried to persuade the crestfallen 
 husband to pluck up a little spirit and to close the 
 transaction ; but he exclaimed, " 'No, no ; it is bad 
 enough as it is ; I have already brought a hornet's nest 
 about my ears." The travellers say, " We have known 
 a wife order her husband not to sell a fowl, merely, as 
 we supposed, to prove to us that she had the upper 
 hand." 
 
 The Makololo ladies, having maid-servants to wait on 
 them and perform the principal part of the household 
 work, have abundance of leisure, which they are some- 
 times at a loss to know how to employ. The men 
 declare that their two principal modes of killing time 
 are sipping beer and smoking bang or Indian hemp. 
 The husbands indulge freely in these pastimes, but they 
 do not like their wives to follow their example. The 
 dress of the women consists of a species of kilt and 
 mantle and a profusion of bead and brass ornaments. 
 The " principal wife of one of the most powerful chiefs 
 
 2 B 
 
362 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 wore eighteen heavy brass rings on each leg, and three 
 of copper under each knee, nineteen brass rings on her 
 left arm and eight of brass and copper on her right, 
 together with a large ivory ring above each elbow. The 
 weight of the rings, of course, seriously impeded her 
 gait ; but as they were the fashion she disregarded that. 
 The most extraordinary device, in this connection, is the 
 pelele — a ring which causes the upper lip to project 
 two inches beyond the tip of the nose, giving to the 
 mouth the elongation and somewhat the appearance of 
 a duck's bill. This strange appendage is quite a 
 necessity in order to any woman's appearing in public. 
 Plumpness is considered essential to beauty, but the 
 obesity required in Uganda would be considered vulgar. 
 The arrangement of the hair is a striking peculiarity. 
 Some women adopt the plan of spreading it out over a 
 hoop, which encircles the head ; others supplement their 
 own by tying behind it bundles of false hair; some 
 plait it in the form of horns ; and sometimes the natural 
 hair is drawn tightly up from the forehead in t]ie form 
 of a pyramid. The men, in many instances, dye their 
 hair red, which for them is the fashionable colour." 
 
 The Zambesi and Nyassa tribes are, in regard to 
 religion, monotheists ; but in combination with their 
 belief in the existence of one God, they also have a 
 conviction that there are other spirits who may be 
 induced to act as mediators between Him and men, and 
 these may be influenced by incantations. They have a 
 firm belief in the immortality of the soul. Dr. Living- 
 stone says, " Their ideas of moral evil differ in no respect 
 from ours ; but they consider themselves responsible to 
 inferior beings instead of to the Supreme." Evil speaking, 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 363 
 
 lying, hatred, and disobedience to parents and neglect 
 of them are recognised as sins, as well as theft, murder, 
 and adultery. The only addition which could be made 
 by a missionary to their moral code is the rejection of 
 polygamy. Such aid as the Gospel and Divine grace 
 alone can give in the rendering of this morality vital 
 and influential they do not know. "All the Africans," 
 say the travellers, " that we have met with here are as 
 fully persuaded of their future existence as of their 
 present," but they do not seem to associate with their 
 belief any idea of a state of rewards and punishments. 
 
 Their superstitions are very childish. Belief in magic 
 is so general among men that it would be strange if it 
 did not prevail in such countries as these. There are 
 traces of serpent- worship, and little images are suspended 
 as charms in the huts of the sick and the dying. If a 
 man has his hair cut he is careful to burn it, otherwise an 
 evil eye might afflict him with headache. If a man 
 plants coffee he will never be happy again, and no one 
 can be persuaded to plant a mango, from a belief that 
 if he did he would speedily die. Rain-doctors are to 
 be found everywhere. Oar travellers sometimes got 
 into trouble by putting up their rain-gauge, which was 
 supposed to frighten away the clouds. 
 
 There is not in this portion of Africa that reckless 
 disregard of human life which appears to obtain in 
 Uganda, neither is the rule of the native chiefs so cruel, 
 although it is despotic. The reverence for royalty is 
 universal. Divination is freely practised, but there is 
 no fetish worship. A sort of belief in the transmigration 
 of souls prevails. The spirits of departed chiefs are 
 supposed to enter into lions, which are consequently 
 
 2 B 2 
 
364 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 never molested, but, when met with, are saluted by the 
 clapping of hands. A peculiar object of superstitious 
 dread is the chameleon, of which the natives have an 
 absolute horror. The English sailors left in charge 
 of the Pioneer during the temporary absence of Dr. 
 Livingstone, made a pet of one of these animals ; and 
 they turned it to good account, moreover. Having 
 ascertained the market-price of provisions, they paid 
 the natives that and no more ; if the traders refused to 
 leave the ship unless a larger sum was given, the 
 chameleon was forthwith brought out of the cabin, and 
 the deck was instantly cleared. Mechanism of all kinds 
 appears so wonderful that it is naturally attributed to 
 supernatural power. A Portuguese took into the interior 
 an assortment of cheap American clocks which he meant 
 to barter for ivory ; but on setting them all going in 
 the presence of a chief, he became so alarmed that the 
 unfortunate trader was ordered to instantly quit the 
 country, and was heavily fined for his indiscretion. 
 
 Game is very abundant in the region of the Upper 
 Zambesi and of the Shire, the banks of which absolutely 
 swarm wdth antelopes, water-bucks, elephants, buffaloes, 
 rhinoceroses, wild pigs, elands, and zebras ; the woods 
 are full of guinea-fowl, and the rivers abound in hippo- 
 potami. In the wantonness of their strength, the elephants 
 cause much destruction by tearing down trees with their 
 trunks merely for amusement. It is difficult to bring 
 down one of these huge creatures, — the ball of the best 
 rifle usually producing no more impression upon the 
 head than it would upon an iron target, only making 
 the unwieldy animal flap its great ears and trot off out 
 of further harm's way. Elephant meat is not; despised 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 365 
 
 by an African sportsman, and is relished by the people 
 themselves generally. The fore foot, cooked in the 
 native manner, was pronounced excellent by Dr. 
 Livingstone. A hole is dug in the ground, a fire is 
 made in it, and when this oven is thoroughly heated, 
 the foot is placed in it, and covered with hot ashes ; a 
 fire is then made above it and kept up during the night, 
 and a dish will be ready for the morning's meal which 
 would satisfy the most fastidious of epicures. The trunk 
 and tongue are also good when prepared in the same 
 manner. Livingstone says, " English sportsmen, al- 
 though first-rate shots at home, are notorious for the 
 number of their misses on first trying to shoot in Africa. 
 Everything is on such a large scale, and there is such a 
 glare of bright sunlight, that some time is required to 
 enable them to judge of distances. ' Is it wounded ? ' 
 inquired a gentleman of his dark attendant, after firing 
 at an antelope. * Yes ! the ball went right into his 
 heart.' These mortal wounds never proving fatal, he 
 desired a friend who understood the language to explain 
 to the man that he preferred the truth in every case. 
 ' He is my father,' replied the native, * and I thought 
 he would be displeased if I told him that he never 
 hits at all.' " 
 
 Crocodiles are very numerous in the river Shire. The 
 travellers counted sixty-seven of them, on one occasion, 
 basking on the same bank. The dead body of a boy 
 floated past the Pioneer, and a prodigious crocodile 
 rushed at it with the speed of a greyhound, caught and 
 " shook it as a terrier dog w ould a rat," and others 
 immediately dashed at the body, making the water 
 foam by the action of their powerful tails. Women are 
 
366 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 frequently seized by these creatures while drawing 
 water, and the protection of a fence is required to keep 
 off the crocodiles from the river's brink. The attempts 
 of the party to catch any of these reptiles were not very 
 successful. They were quite ready to take the bait — 
 and they took it, flattening the strongest hooks with 
 their immense jaws and getting aw^ay. 
 
 Droughts at particular seasons are prevalent in every 
 part of Central Africa, with the exception of the rainy 
 zone of the equatorial region. They extend over areas 
 of from one to three hundred miles. Dr. Linngstone's 
 inquiries led him to believe that from 10° to 15° 
 south latitude they may be expected to occur once in 
 every ten or fifteen years ; and from 15° to 20° south 
 latitude, once in every five years. The cause of them 
 is not understood. The hills are generally well wooded, 
 and they are clothed with verdure to their summits; 
 while the valleys, where they are cultivated, are al- 
 most choked with a most profuse and rank vegeta- 
 tion. When the drought comes, both hill and valley 
 present an appearance as if scathed by fire ; the grass 
 crumbles into powder, and the leaves drop discoloured 
 from the trees. The effect of one of these dry seasons 
 on the population is frightful. On his first journey 
 up the Sbire to the Nyassa, Dr. Livingstone passed 
 through a populous and well-cultivated country. Be- 
 tween that time and his return, eighteen months after- 
 wards, a drought of great severity had happened, 
 and the misery which had been occasioned by it had 
 been aggravated by a slave-hunting expedition w^hich 
 had devasted the whole district almost as much 
 as the calamity which had been inflicted by nature. 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 367 
 
 Instead of peaceful villages well occupied, there was 
 scarcely a person to be seen. The people generally 
 had fled from their unmerciful hunters no less than 
 from their barren fields; the recently dead lay un- 
 buried, innumerable corpses which the gorged crocodiles 
 were not able to devour floated down the rivers, human 
 skeletons obstructed the paths, and the whole country 
 was a scene of appalling desolation. 
 
 In the dry season, the tributaries of the Zambesi are 
 almost without water. The Zungwe was traced up to 
 the foot of the Batoka highlands, which the travellers 
 ascended to the height of three thousand feet, and thus 
 obtained a magnificent panoramic view of the great 
 valley of the Ztobesi, of which the cultivated portions 
 are so small that the country appeared to be nearly all 
 forest interspersed with a few grassy glades. The great 
 falls of the Zambesi — to which, on the occasion of his 
 first visit in 1855, Dr. Livingstone gave the name of 
 the Victoria Falls — were again visited on this his second 
 expedition, and he was thus enabled more fully to 
 describe them. Without question, they constitute the 
 most wonderful waterfall in the world. The name by 
 which they are known among the natives is Mosi-oa- 
 tunya, or " smoke sounding." Their fame had extended 
 to a long distance, for when Dr. Livingstone was on an 
 excursion in the interior, in 1851, a chief who resided 
 two hundred miles from them asked, " Have you any 
 smoke-soundings in your country ?" When the river is 
 in flood, the columns of vapour, resplendent in the 
 morning sun with double, and sometimes triple, rain- 
 bows, are visible for a distance of ten miles. They are 
 caused by a sudden compression of the water, and its 
 
368 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 being forced through a narrow wedge-like fissure. The 
 fall probably originated in an earthquake which produced 
 a deep transverse crack in the bed of the river — which 
 is a mass of hard basaltic rock, and which is prolonged 
 from the left bank for thirty or forty miles. Dr. Living- 
 stone's description will be most effective in his own 
 words. He says : — 
 
 " It is rather a hopeless task to endeavour to convey 
 an idea of it in words, since as it was remarked on the 
 spot, an accomplished painter, even by a number of 
 views, could but impart a faint impression of the 
 glorious scene. The probable mode of its formation 
 may, perhaps, help to the conception of its peculiar 
 shape. Niagara has been formed by 'a wearing back 
 of the rock over which the river falls; and during a 
 long course of ages, it has gradually receded, and left 
 a broad, deep, and pretty straight trough in front. It 
 goes on wearing back daily, and may yet discharge the 
 lakes from which its river — the St. Lawrence — flows. 
 But the Victoria Falls have been formed by a crack right 
 across the river, in the hard, black, basaltic rock which 
 there formed the bed of the Zambesi. The lips of the 
 crack are still quite sharp, save about three feet of the 
 edge over which the river falls. The walls go sheer down 
 from the lips without any projecting crag, or symptom 
 of stratification or dislocation. When the mighty rift 
 occmTed no change of level took place in the two parts 
 of the bed of the river thus rent asunder, consequently 
 in coming down the river to Garden Island, the water 
 suddenly disappears, and we see the opposite side of 
 the cleft, with grass and trees growing where once the 
 river ran, on the same level as that part of its bed on 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 369 
 
 which we sail. The first crack is, in length, a few 
 yards more than the breadth of the Zambesi, which by- 
 measurement we found to be a little over one thousand 
 eight hundred and sixty yards ; but this number we 
 resolved to retain as indicating the year in which the 
 fall was for the first time carefully examined. The 
 main stream here runs nearly north and south, and the 
 cleft across it is nearly east and west. The depth of 
 the rift was measured by lowering a line, to the end 
 of which a few bullets and a foot of white cotton cloth 
 were tied ; one of us lay with his head over a projecting 
 crag, and watched the descending calico, till, after his 
 companions had paid out three hundred and ten feet, 
 the weight rested on a sloping projection, probably 
 fifty feet from the water below, the actual bottom 
 being still further down. The white cloth now appeared 
 the size of a crown-piece ; on measuring the width of 
 this deep cleft by sextant, it was found at Garden 
 Island, its narrowest part, to be eighty yards, and at 
 its broadest somewhat more. Into this chasm, of twice 
 the depth of Niagara Falls, the river, a full mile wide, 
 rolls with a deafening roar ; and this is the Mosi-oa- 
 tunya, or the Victoria Falls. 
 
 Looking from Garden Island, down to the bottom 
 of the abyss, nearly half a mile of water, which has 
 fallen over that portion of the falls to our right, or 
 west of our point of view, is seen collected in a narrow 
 channel twenty or thirty yards wide, and flowing at 
 exactly right angles to its previous course, to our left ; 
 while the other half, or that which fell over the eastern 
 portion of the falls, is seen in the left of the narrow 
 channel below, coming towards our right. Both waters 
 
870 
 
 AFKICA. 
 
 unite midway, in a fearful boiling whirlpool, and find 
 an outlet by a crack situated at right angles to the 
 fissure of the falls. This outlet is about one thousand 
 one hundred and seventy yards from the western end 
 of the chasm, and some six hundred from its eastern 
 end ; the whirlpool is at its commencement. The 
 Zambesi, now not apparently more than twenty or 
 thirty yards wide, rushes and surges south, through the 
 narrow escape channel, for one hundred and thirty 
 yards; then enters a second chasm somewhat deeper 
 and nearly parallel with the first. Abandoning the 
 bottom of the eastern half of this second chasm to the 
 growth of large trees, it turns sharply off to the west, 
 and forms a promontory, with the escape channel at its 
 point, of one thousand one hundred and seventy yards 
 long, and four hundred and sixteen yards broad at the 
 base. After reaching this base, the river runs abruptly 
 round the head of another promontory, and flows away 
 to the east in a third chasm, then glides round a third 
 promontory, much narrower than the rest, and away 
 back to the west in a fourth chasm ; and we could see 
 in the distance that it appeared to round still another 
 promontory, and bend once more in another chasm 
 toward tlie east. In this gigantic zigzag, yet narrow, 
 trough the rocks are all so sharply cut and angular, 
 that the idea at once arises that the hard basaltic trap 
 must have been riven into its present shape by a force 
 acting from beneath, and that this probably took place 
 when the ancient inland seas were let off by similar 
 fissures nearer the ocean." 
 
 The whole district now drained by the Zambesi and 
 its tributaries was probably, at one time, a vast fresh- 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 371 
 
 water lake, of which there are roany traces extend- 
 ing over a tract which reaches from 17° to 21° 
 south latitude. Almost the whole of this immense 
 area is covered with a bed of tufa, more or less soft 
 where it has been exposed to atmospheric influences. 
 The waters of this great inland sea have escaped 
 by means of cracks produced in its surrounding 
 boundaries, at some remote period, by subterranean 
 agency. The fissure of the Victoria Falls, for example, 
 has probably contributed to the draining of an enormous 
 valley, leaving only the deepest portion of the original 
 sea, the Nyassa Lake. Almost all the African lakes are 
 comparatively shallow, and are the remains of much 
 larger bodies of water. The climate of Africa is there- 
 fore supposed, and with reason, to have been formerly 
 much more moist than it is now; and the great 
 equatorial lake regions are being gradually dried up 
 by a process which has been in operation for ages. 
 That the Nyassa has shrunk in its area is proved by 
 the existence of varied beaches on its borders and 
 by the deep clay strata through which several of its 
 affluents flow. 
 
 The rocks in the central part of this great continent 
 consist usually of a coarse grey sandstone, lying hori- 
 zontally, or only very slightly inclined. Within this 
 extensive sandstone deposit is a coal-field of vast but 
 unknown extent, the materials of which were supplied by 
 the tropical plants which grew on the low shores of the 
 great inland sea whose existence we have supposed pro- 
 bable, and which must have undergone many changes. 
 Yet Africa as a whole is the grand type of a region 
 which has to a large extent preserved its ancient 
 
372 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 terrestrial conditions during a period of indefinite 
 duration, unaffected by any considerable changes ex- 
 cept those which are dependent on atmospheric and 
 meteoric influences. By far the greatest part of its 
 vast interior has been unaffected by the great inun- 
 dations to which the other continents have been ex- 
 posed. Limestone, we believe, has not been found with 
 marine exuviae, in any part of it ; neither has chalk or 
 flint been met with. The surface of it is free from 
 coarse superficial drift. There are in it no traces of 
 volcanoes ; nor has its surface been much disturbed by 
 internal forces, although in one or two places the 
 primitive rocks have been protruded in isolated masses, 
 as on the shores of the Albert N'Yanza and the great 
 mountain groups of Kenia and Kilimanjaro. 
 
 It was supposed that the Kovuma, a river some 
 leagues to the north, might afford a more easy access 
 to the district of the Nyassa than the Zambesi and the 
 Shire, and might also prove to be more healthy, and 
 better fitted for missionary work. Accordingly, Dr. 
 Livingstone and Bishop Mackenzie entered the Rovuma 
 in 1S61, with the Pioneer, which, drawing nearly 
 five feet water, proved to be too much for continued 
 navigation. They ascended the river for five days ; 
 but besides finding that the draught of their vessel was 
 more than the stream would afford, they encountered 
 other difficulties by means of the intricate windings 
 through which they were obliged to pass, and were 
 therefore compelled to return. The valley of the 
 Rovuma, so far as they saw it, resembles that of the 
 Zambesi, but is on a smaller scale. The river was 
 found to be unfit for navigation for four months in the 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 373 
 
 year, but, like the Zambesi, it might be available for 
 commerce for the other eight months. In its lower 
 course the river is a mile wide and from five to six 
 fathoms in depth. There is little that is interesting 
 in the aspect of its banks. Higher up, the scenery is 
 described by Bishop Mackenzie as extremely beautiful, 
 consisting as it does of finely-wooded hills two or three 
 hundred feet in height within a short distance of the 
 river. ' According to the natives, the Eovuma issues 
 from Lake Nyassa, but none of them had ascended the 
 stream far enough to prove it. 
 
 Four years having been spent in laborious ex- 
 ploration, attended with many and great difficulties, 
 orders were transmitted by the Government in 1862 
 that the expedition should be withdrawn, and that Dr. 
 Livingstone should return to England. The Govern- 
 ment had been disappointed in various particulars — in 
 the capabilities both of the Zambesi and the Eovuma 
 for commerce ; in regard to the prevalence of the slave- 
 trade, and the extreme difiSculty of suppressing it; in 
 the lamentable failure of the Universities' Mission ; and 
 in the generally unsettled and dangerous state of the 
 country. But the explorers had opened up acquaintance 
 with a district of boundless capabilities, and had revealed 
 the causes which shut it out from intercourse with the 
 civilised world. 
 
 Dr. Livingstone asserts that he was the first to see 
 slavery in its origin in this part of Africa, in which so 
 many are first made slaves, and also declares that he 
 had good opportunities of tracing it through all its 
 revolting phases. It is carried on in connection with 
 the trade in ivory, and from fifteen to twenty canoes 
 
374 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 freighted with slaves for the Portuguese settlements 
 have been seen at a time on the Upper Zambesi. 
 Tribe is arrayed against tribe for the capture of slaves, 
 and sometimes even family against family, and there are 
 places in which every house is protected by a stockade. 
 Tribes the highest in intelligence are found, in many 
 instances, to be morally the most degraded — men freely 
 selling their own wives and grown-up daughters. On 
 the shores of Lake ISTyassa the slave merchants were at 
 the time of Dr. Livingstone's visit paying two yards of 
 calico, worth about a shilling, for a boy, and four yards 
 for a good-looking girl. Where such practices exist, 
 the lowest barbarism must be the condition of the 
 people. Dr. Livingstone blames the Portuguese Govern- 
 ment for much of this. Spain, formerly the most 
 inveterate of European offenders, has taken to heart 
 the lesson of experience, and resolved to abandon for 
 ever the abominable traffic in man ; and Portugal is 
 now especially branded with the stigma of this atrocious 
 crime. 
 
 There is no room for doubt that the development of 
 legitimate trade w^ould prove far more profitable and 
 beneficial in every way than the slave-trade. The 
 capacity of the Eastern Coast of Africa for a large and 
 lucrative trade is unquestionable, and, notwithstanding 
 many discouragements, such trade has made consider- 
 able progress within the last thirty or forty years. In 
 1834 the island of Zanzibar possessed little or no trade ; 
 in 1860 the exports of ivory, gum, opal, and cloves, had 
 risen to the value of 239,500Z., and the total exports 
 and imports amounted to 1,000,577?., employing twenty- 
 five thousand three hundred an 1 forty tons of shipping, 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 375 
 
 and this under the rule of a petty Arabian prince, for 
 the Sultan is really nothing more. It may be loDg 
 before the natives can be induced to cultivate ex- 
 tensively cotton and sugar for exportation, but there 
 are many valuable natural products the preparation of 
 which for the European market requires but little 
 industry and no skill. There are hard woods which 
 grow on the banks of the Zambesi and the Shire which 
 are very valuable. These may be obtained in any 
 quantity at the mere cost of cutting, and they can be 
 transported to the coast at all seasons without difficulty. 
 The lignum vitse attains a larger size on the banks of 
 the Zambesi than has been known anywhere else. The 
 African ebony, although not botanically the same as 
 the ebony of commerce, also attains immense pro- 
 portions, and is of a deeper black. It abounds on the 
 Kovuma, within eight miles of the sea, as does the 
 fustic, from which is extracted a strong yellow dye. 
 
 Dr. Livingstone's two expeditions have added largely 
 to our geographical knowledge, and the facts which he 
 supplies are important and interesting. In the latter 
 of the two he entered and partly explored a region the 
 hydrography of which requires to be thoroughly known 
 before the great mystery of the source of the Nile is 
 completely solved, for it is no doubt that in the dis- 
 trict of the equatorial lakes the head-springs of the 
 mighty river exist. What Livingstone has been 
 enabled to accomplish in the course of his third ex- 
 pedition we must wait with patience to know, thankful, 
 after many fears and anxieties about him, to know that 
 he lives, and that the results of his explorations will in 
 due time be forthcoming. 
 
376 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 These great equatorial lakes seem to be vast re- 
 servoirs connected with one another. Baker's dis- 
 covery of the magnificent lake (the little Luta N'Zige 
 of Speke) which he has appropriately named the 
 Albert K'Yanza, gives fresh interest to the subject ; for 
 if the Albert N'Yanza should prove to be connected 
 with the great Tanganyika, as it is now said to be, the 
 source of the Nile is not, after all, the Victoria N'Yanza 
 or one of its affluents, but must be sought for in a 
 region many degrees to the south of that lake, or of 
 any of its tributary streams. That such a connection 
 exists between the Albert N'Yanza and the Tanganyika 
 there is good reason to believe, for a party of Arab 
 traders informed Captain Speke, while making a voyage 
 on the Tanganyika, that the river which flows through 
 Egypt issues from that lake ; and an Arab merchant 
 who had no reason for misrepresentation made a 
 similar statement to Captain Burton, and gave such 
 circumstantial details as tend strongly to establish the 
 probability. A large river, he said, called the Marunga, 
 enters the lake at its southern extremity, and, on a 
 visit to its southern end, he saw a river which certainly 
 flowed out of it, for he approached so near as to feel 
 the influence of an outward current. Dr. Livingstone's 
 information as also received from Arabs well acquainted 
 with the Tanganyika goes in the same direction. On 
 the sand, they drew for him the Nyassa discharging its 
 waters to the south, but the Tanganyika to the north. 
 He had been told moreover, in the course of his first 
 missionary travels, by an Arab that he knew the 
 Tanganyika well, that it was connected with another 
 lake still farther north called Garagne (Karagwe), and 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 377 
 
 King Kamrasi and the natives inhabiting its banks 
 assured Sir S. Baker that the Albert N'Yanza was known 
 to extend far to the west of Karagwe. Thus we are in 
 possession, from four distinct and independent sources, 
 that the Tanganyika has its issue in the north, and is 
 therefore connected with the Albert N'Yanza. 
 
 The alleged difference of altitude (226 feet) between 
 the two lakes is not a valid objection to this idea ; for 
 when we know that 1° Fahr. represents an altitude of 
 533 feet, a difference of level which is indicated by the 
 fractional part of a degree may well be attributed 
 either to some imperfection in the instrument or to 
 defective observation. Dr. Livingstone suggested so 
 long ago as his first book that the parting of the water- 
 shed of the Zambesi and the Nile might be somewhere 
 between the latitudes 6° and 12° south, that the two 
 rivers rose in the same region, and that their sources 
 would probably be found at no considerable distance 
 from each other. {Missionary Travels, p. 477.) If this 
 supposition should be realised, a remarkable resemblance 
 will exist between the two great rivers of Western 
 Europe and the Zambesi and the Nile. The Danube 
 and the Rhine have their sources very near to each other, 
 but they diverge,' the one, like the Zambesi, to the east, 
 the other, like the Nile, to the north, both traversing a 
 vast extent of country before reaching the sea. 
 
 This problem has, in alP probability, been already 
 solved, for Dr. Livingstone's instructions for his third 
 expedition were that he should reach the Tanganyika 
 and there give particular attention to its outflow. As 
 the distance between the Tanganyika and the Albert 
 N'Yanza cannot be great, he has no doubt already tested 
 
 2 c 
 
378 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 the correctness of the information formerly received, 
 as well as the surmises of Captains Burton and Speke, 
 based on the reports of the natives. The question to 
 be determined will be, whether the Albert N'Yanza is 
 connected with the Nile ; and if so, how ? Captain 
 Speke traced the river which flows from the Victoria 
 N'Yanza for fifty miles only, but Sir S. Baker has by 
 personal observation established the fact that it flows 
 into the Albert N'Yanza, he having ascended its banks 
 to the point at which Captain Speke left it — namely, 
 the Karuma Falls. Baker saw, or imagined he 
 saw, a river at a distance of twenty miles from the 
 most northerly point which he reached on the Albert 
 N'Yanza, as it seemed to issue from the lake and tra- 
 verse the plain beyond ; but such distant observation 
 cannot be confidently relied upon. The Albert N'Yanza 
 may be connected with the Nile by some great but 
 hitherto undiscovered stream which communicates 
 with the Bahr el-Grhazal, and this supposition is all the 
 more probable when taken in connection with the 
 information which Sir Samuel received from natives 
 residing on the shores of the Albert N'Yanza, to the 
 effect that the lake extends to the north-west for about 
 forty miles, and then suddenly turns to the west, being 
 gradually contracted, and that its extent is unknown. 
 That the Bahr el-Grhazal may ultimately prove to be 
 the true Nile is thus rendered extremely probable. In 
 descending the stream from Gondokoro, on passing the 
 Bahr el-Ghazal, it is the custom. Captain Grant informs 
 us, for all boats to fire a gun as a salute, possibly a 
 traditionary honour paid to the great source of Egypt's 
 fertility. The river which flows from Gondokoro at its 
 
LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 379 
 
 junction with the Bahr el-Ghazal is only eighty or a 
 hundred yards across, while the Bahr el-Ghazal is half 
 a mile in width, and after the junction of the two 
 streams there is an evident increase in breadth, the 
 water thenceforward becoming purer, and the current 
 being considerably augmented. (Grant's Walk across 
 Africa, p. 380.) The river which flows past Gondokoro, 
 and which Captain Speke traces from the Victoria 
 N'Yanza, is, Dr. Beke tells us, known there, not as the 
 Bahr el-Abyad, or White Nile, but as the Bahr el-Djebel, 
 or Mountain River. 
 
 If it should be found that the Tanganyika is con- 
 nected with the Albert N'Yanza, and that the Albert 
 N'Yanza is connected with the Bahr el-Ghazal, by its 
 westerly or any other affluent, it will follow that the 
 Tanganyika, or rather the River Marunga, which enters 
 that lake at its southern extremity, will form the true 
 head water of the Nile, and the course of the mighty 
 river will then be proved to extend through forty 
 degrees of latitude, and the great lakes Tanganyika and 
 Albert N'Yanza will be but the expansion of a majestic 
 stream, the course of which from its fountain-head to 
 its embouchure will exceed four thousand miles. 
 (Quarterly Review, vol. cxix. p. 24.). 
 
 The complete solution of the great geographical 
 problem may not be given to one explorer, nor will it 
 perhaps be accomplished in one generation, but we 
 are coming nearer and nearer to its determination. 
 Captain Speke discovered the great Lake Victoria 
 N'Yanza, and on the occasion of a second expedition, 
 along with Grant, confirmed his previous observation, 
 and found a rivei* issuing from it, which, after a not 
 
 2 c 2 
 
380 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 very lengthened course, has been ascertained by Baker 
 to fall, in common with several other rivers as large as 
 itself, into another enormous lake, now denominated the 
 Albert N'Yanza. Of the effluent of this lake our 
 information is yet defective. If the Lake Tanganyika 
 should prove to be connected with the Albert N'Yanza, 
 and the Albert N'Yanza by its westerly or other effluent 
 with the great river of Egypt, to Dr. Livingstone may 
 yet be reserved the honour of being the real discoverer 
 of the source of the Nile, the probable region of which 
 he pointed out long before any of the expeditions 
 from the eastern coast of Africa had been undertaken ; 
 and, when we come into possession of the Journal of 
 his third expedition, we may possibly find that he has 
 made discoveries which will surpass in interest any 
 that have yet been accomplished within the basin of 
 the Nile. That the record of the results of his travels 
 is safe, and in any event available, is matter of satis- 
 faction. May he himself safely return to us, and be 
 able to present them to the public in connection with 
 his own personal presence in our midst ! 
 
( 381 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 Mr. Henry M. Stanley, employed on the literary staff 
 of the New York Herald, informs us that, being in 
 Madrid on the business of his profession, he received a 
 telegram on the 16th of October, 1869, from Mr. James 
 Gordon Bennett, the proprietor of that journal, to the 
 effect that he must ^' come to Paris on important 
 business." With due speed he was in Paris, and in 
 conversation with the sender of the telegram. Mr. 
 Bennett intimated that he had resolved that Mr. Stanley 
 should go to Africa and " find Dr. Livingstone." All 
 expense should be provided ; and he must find the 
 traveller if alive, and procure accounts of him if he 
 were dead. Stanley was not new to a life of adventure 
 and risk, and he willingly consented. After performing 
 certain other journeys and portions of work on behalf 
 of his employer, he arrived at Zanzibar on the 6th of 
 January, 1871. Zanzibar agreeably surprised him. 
 With the exception of the sandy beach, the island 
 seemed buried in verdure from end to end. Many 
 dhows were making their way out of and in the bay, 
 and towards the south there appeared the masts of 
 several large ships, while to the east there was a mass 
 of white flat-roofed houses. This was the city of 
 
382 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Zanzibar, the capital of the island. It had all the 
 characteristics of an Arab city. Over the largest houses 
 fronting the bay were the banner of the Sultan, Seyd 
 Burghash, and the flags of the American, English, 
 North-German Confederation, and French Consulates. 
 In the harbour were thirteen large ships, — four 
 Zanzibar men-of-war, one English man-of-war, two 
 American, one French, one Portuguese, two English, 
 and two German merchantmen, as well as many dhows 
 from Johanna and Mayotte of the Comoro islands, and 
 from Muscat and Cutch — traders between India, the 
 Persian Gulf, and Zanzibar. Captain Webb, the 
 United States Consul, cordially received him and 
 hospitably entertained him. The most important 
 Consulate is the British, and the Consul is Dr. John 
 Kirk, formerly a companion in travel of Dr. Living- 
 stone, and, notwithstanding Mr. Stanley's misunder- 
 standing of him, no doubt still his friend and the 
 friend of his enterprise and explorations. 
 
 The population of Zanzibar amounts to nearly 
 100,000; and that of the island altogether to about 
 200,000, including all races. In the city there are 
 several classes which have an extended influence over 
 the whole community : the Arabs, the Banyans — a 
 sharp, money-making people controlling much of the 
 trade of Central Africa — and the Mahommedan Hindis. 
 These three represent the higher and the middle 
 classes. They own the estates, the ships, and the 
 trade. Negroes go to make up the mixed population, 
 and these consist of the aborigines, the Wasawahili, 
 Somalis, Comorines, Wanyamwezi, and the repre- 
 sentatives of many of the tribes of Inner Africa. The 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 388 
 
 greateKst number of foreign vessels trading with the 
 port are said to be American ; after the American, the 
 German, and after them the French and English. 
 They bring American sheeting, brandy, gunpowder, 
 muskets, beads, English cottons, brass-wire, china-ware, 
 and other articles, and take away ivory, gum-copal, 
 cloves, hides, cowries, sesamum, pepper, and cocoa-nut 
 oil. There used to be a large business done in slaves, who 
 were conveyed from the coast to Zanzibar, and thence 
 carried to their ultimate destinations in the countries 
 which still encourage this infamous traffic. It is to be 
 hoped that present efforts to bind the authorities at 
 Zanzibar to their promises in favour of the suppression 
 of this trade will continue to be successful. Hitherto, 
 the temptations of profit have made all treaties nothing 
 more than a dead letter. 
 
 The organising of an expedition to Central Africa is 
 always a matter of difficulty, and so Stanley found. 
 He must take sufficient for his purpose and no more, — 
 he must not be in straits, neither must he burden 
 himself with more than enough. There were questions 
 to settle about quality and quantity in regard to cloth, 
 beads, and wire — there being no money in these 
 countries ; one description of article instead of money 
 being of service in certaia parts, while something 
 different was requisite in another. He surveyed his 
 store of " money," consisting of such goods as have been 
 named; but there were still to be provided food, 
 cooking-utensils, boats, rope, twine, tents, donkeys, 
 saddles, bagging, canvas, tar, needles, tools, guns, 
 ammunition, equipments, hatchets, medicines, bedding, 
 presents for chiefs, and many things besides. 
 
384 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 One mistake he made, and it might have cost him 
 the success of his enterprise. He engaged as his 
 subordinates a couple of sailors, Farquhar and Shaw, 
 who appear to have been worthless, drunken fellows, 
 whose constitutions were already ruined, and who both 
 died in the interior after having given him an immense 
 amount of trouble. He was more fortunate with his 
 natives, enlisting among his road escort of twenty 
 men several of Speke's " faithfuls," headed by the 
 famous " Bombay," w^ho had the best of characters. 
 In the course of a month Mr. Stanley had by great 
 exertion got together his goods and their guard, his 
 donkeys and horses, and had carried them over in 
 four dhows to Bagamoyo, a port and caravan station 
 on the mainland, across a channel of twenty-five miles. 
 He had with him the means of paying his way and of 
 buying food for the one hundred and ninety-two souls 
 which formed his caravan ; and all being in goods of 
 various descriptions, it took him six weeks at Bagamoyo 
 to start all these in five detachments on the road to 
 Unyanyembe. A number of his men were armed; 
 and these he called soldiers. 
 
 At Bagamoyo he found thirty-five men and a quan- 
 tity of goods which had been despatched some time 
 before, by Dr. Kirk, in aid of Dr. Livingstone, and who 
 suddenly left for the interior when it was reported that 
 Dr, Kirk had arrived in Her Majesty's ship Colum- 
 hine. This speedy escape from censure was probably 
 intended rather than accomplished ; for Dr. Kirk him- 
 self in a despatch to the Foreign Office informs us that 
 on his arrival at Bagamoyo he found the men " still 
 living in the village," and that by using his influence 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 385 
 
 with the Arabs, he succeeded at once in sending off all 
 but four loads, and followed inland one day's journey 
 himself." The remaining four loads, he afterwards 
 arranged, were to be taken as far as Unyanyembe by an 
 Arab caravan. 
 
 The island of Zanzibar is cut by the sixth parallel of 
 south latitude. From Bagamoyo, on the mainland, 
 there is a well-known caravan route, which leads in the 
 first instance to Unyanyembe, a central trading station 
 and settlement of the Arab ivory and slave merchants, 
 and which lies in five degrees south latitude, and is three 
 hundred and sixty miles in a direct line west of Baga- 
 moyo, though IMr. Stanley's route, as he computes it, 
 makes the distance actually travelled no less than five 
 hundred and twenty miles. The next and furthest depot 
 of the Arab merchants is Ujiji, one hundred and eighty 
 miles due west of Unyanyembe, and is on the shores of 
 the great Lake Tanganyika. When the native tribes and 
 their petty sultans are not at war amongst themselves 
 or with the Arabs, the road to Ujiji from Unyanyembe 
 is neither difficult nor dangerous for a well-organised 
 caravan ; but in case of war, it is beset with hazard, and 
 a long detour must be made. This was Mr. Stanley's 
 experience. But the road itself is easily found, and it 
 is not difficult to travel it. Floods are the only natural 
 obstacles, guides are readily procurable, and the traveller 
 need never of his own accord lose a well-beaten track. 
 But the European has to encounter the fevers, of which 
 he w^ill probably have several before reaching Ujiji ; his 
 followers may desert him or mutiny, or die of cholera, 
 as did those sent to relieve Dr. Livingstone ; his supplies 
 may fail on account of unlooked-for delays, and he whose 
 
386 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 cloth and beads and wire come to an end in Central 
 Africa, is worse off than he who has no raoney in London 
 or Paris. In dealing with his own men and with chiefs 
 whose demands may be exorbitant, the traveller will 
 have need of all his tact, temper, and courage, but by 
 dint of these good qualities, he will, generally speaking, 
 suffer only moderately from robbery and ill-treatment. 
 The country between the coast and Tanganyika is well 
 travelled by caravans ; the tribute system with the dif- 
 ferent tribes is almost as well-organised as a customs' 
 tariff ; and the drunken village chiefs and sultans, who 
 depend upon traders for all their luxuries, are wise 
 enough to know that, if they rob and murder one cara- 
 van, another is not likely to come their way. Neither 
 do the Arabs dare to kidnap along the route. Their 
 slave-hunting grounds are in the distant interior, and 
 it is quite an error to suppose that the country is 
 desolated and uninhabited for several hundred miles, 
 from the coast inwards. On the contrary, it is populous 
 for a great part of the way from Bagamoyoto Ujiji, and 
 the inhabitants are generally prosperous and well-armed 
 with flint guns, at least as far as Unyanyembe, and it is 
 the interest of all parties to keep the peace. 
 
 Lake Tanganyika lies five hundred and forty miles 
 inland, and stretches north and south for nearly three 
 hundred miles, having an average breadth of about forty 
 miles. Lake Nyassa lies about three hundred miles to 
 the west of it, and is known to belong to another water- 
 shed. One of the great problems which Livingstone has 
 been endeavouring to solve is whether the Tanganyika 
 waters have or have not any outlet into the Albert 
 N'Yanza of Baker, and so into the Nile. The southern 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 387 
 
 extremity of the Albert N'Yanza appears to be nearly 
 two hundred miles from the north shore of Tanganyika. 
 But Livingstone and Stanley found that the Eusisi 
 river, the great hope of the upholders of this theory of 
 the Tanganyika connect ion j flows into and not out of the 
 north end of the lake, and it now appears to be not 
 improbable that the Tanganyika has no outlet at all, 
 or at least that it has no outlet towards the north. 
 But there is still another question, the answer to which 
 will, as Livingstone hopes, bring the Kile sources as 
 far down as 11° or 12° south, or one hundred and 
 eighty miles below the southern extremity of the 
 Tanganyika. The Chambesi, which is a distinct river 
 from the Zambesi, which flows into the Mozambique 
 Channel, rises, as Livingstone has found, in about 
 eleven degrees south, and flows in a south-westerly direc- 
 tion into Lake Bangweolo, the soutliern shore of which 
 touches the twelfth parallel of south latitude. Living- 
 stone has traced the line of drainage from this lake by 
 large rivers flowing north, first to Lake Moero, in the 
 same latitude as the south end of Tanganyika, but 
 about one hundred and twenty miles west of it, thence 
 north-west to Kamolondo, a lake about two hundred and 
 forty miles west of Tanganyika, and a degree, or there- 
 by, south of the latitude of Ujiji, thence northwards 
 to a point at which he was obliged to turn, and which 
 brought him near an unknown lake. This unknown 
 lake lies in the latitude of the northern head of the 
 Tanganyika, and about the same distance west of it as 
 Lake Kamolondo, and if there should be a river flowing, 
 as Dr. Livingstone supposes there is, from this nameless 
 water to the Albert N'Yanza, the southern shore of which 
 
388 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 is probably not more than two hundred miles to the 
 north coast, the connection between the Chambesi, rising 
 in twelve degrees south, and the Nile, flowing into the 
 Mediterranean in thirty degrees north, wdll be com- 
 plete. But this final link in the chain has yet to be 
 proved, and some geographers contend that the relative 
 altitudes of the various waters will prevent it from ever 
 being proved at all. But be that as it may, these are 
 the localities of the great watershed which Dr. Living- 
 stone has been exploring during the long years of his 
 last absence, and which begins two hundred miles south 
 of Tanganyika, sweeps round it to the west, and ulti- 
 mately, perhaps, to its direct north and to the Nile. 
 
 It is eight years since Livingstone, in March 1866, 
 left Zanzibar, and struck from the interior from Miki- 
 dindy Bay towards Lake Nyassa, which is about three 
 hundred miles inland, and about the same distance south 
 of Zanzibar. He remained in the neighbourhood of this 
 lake during the autumn of 1866. When he started, his 
 caravan had consisted of twelve Sepoys and of Johanna 
 and other natives, in all about thirty men, besides a 
 number of camels, mules, and donkeys to carry his cloth, 
 beads, instruments, and supplies. He soon lost all his 
 animals ; the Sepoys were a worthless and bad lot, and 
 he was obliged to send them back to the coast ; other 
 natives deserted, and the Johanna men went off in a 
 body and brought with them that fictitious story of the 
 traveller's death which gave anxiety to many, but which 
 was stoutly disbelieved by Sir Koderick Murchison. 
 From Nyassa he went north-west to the country of King 
 Cazembe, where he arrived early in 1867. He then 
 explored the watershed ^of the river Chambesi and of 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 389 
 
 Lakes Bangweolo and Moero, and after being deserted 
 by all but two of his followers, and experiencing many 
 great hardships and dangers, made his way to Ujiji, on 
 Lake Tanganyika, in March 1869. Thence he wrote 
 those letters which, to the great joy of England, refuted 
 the story of the Johanna men, and induced the Govern- 
 ment in May 1871 to grant 1,000?. towards the relief 
 of the traveller. Meantime, in 1868, Mr. Churchill, 
 British consul at Zanzibar, had despatched supplies and 
 medicines to Ujiji, and Dr. Seward had also sent for- 
 ward some quinine and stores for the same place. In 
 April 1869 Dr. Kirk sent fourteen men and a large 
 caravan, and in February 1871 the expedition seen by 
 Mr. Stanley at Bagamoyo, and which had been equipped 
 with the Government money by Mr. Churchill and Dr. 
 Kirk, was despatched, all for Ujiji. It is not known 
 whether Mr. Churchill's and Dr. Seward's supplies, sent 
 in 1868, reached their destination, but Livingstone ap- 
 pears to have wanted for nothing when, in June 1869, he 
 quitted Ujiji, and went, in company with some Arab tra- 
 ders, to explore the distant Manyema country, on the west 
 side of the Tanganyika. It was in this journey that he 
 reached his farthest point north, and traced the water- 
 shed as far as the unknown lake. He was compelled to 
 return because his men utterly refused to proceed fur- 
 ther, and, in bitter disappointment, had to turn his back 
 upon the great problem which he was on the eve of 
 solving, making the weary journey of between four 
 hundred and five hundred miles to Ujiji, from which he 
 intended to start again with new men and fresh supplies. 
 Writing to the Editor of the New York Herald, he says, 
 " I thought that I was dying on my feet. It is not too 
 
390 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 much to say that almost every step of the weary, sultry 
 way, was in pain, and I reached Ujiji a mere ruckle of 
 bones." This was in October 1870. He was more 
 dead than alive, and had to endure the bitter disap- 
 pointment of finding that the goods and men of Dr. 
 Kirk's 1869 expedition, and to which he was trusting 
 implicitl}^, had gone to the four winds. In the first 
 place this expedition had been delayed, months and 
 months, by the cholera, which had carried off many of 
 its men ; and when, finally, such of the goods as had not 
 been plundered arrived at Ujiji, they were sold off, and 
 the proceeds dissipated by '*the drunken half-caste 
 Moslem tailor " to whom they had been entrusted. The 
 traveller had nothing left but " a few barter cloths and 
 beads," beggary was staring him in the face, when, 
 three weeks after his arrival in Ujiji, the Neio York 
 Herald expedition appeared on the scene and all was 
 well. The men and goods which had left Bagamoyo, 
 shortly before Mr. Stanley, were still at Unyanyembe, 
 detained by a war which Mr. Stanley had avoided by a 
 long detour, and it is hard to say when they might 
 have reached the forlorn traveller for whose succour 
 they were intended. 
 
 Such were the circumstances connected with the loss 
 of Livingstone, and such was the condition in which he 
 was found. 
 
 Stanley's first misfortune after leaving the coast was 
 the death of his two horses, by some mysterious disease, 
 not by the bite of the tsetse. The donkeys also perished. 
 The poor animals died from bad weather, overwork, 
 disease, and crocodiles, and not one of them reached 
 Ujiji. The country through which the route lay was of 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 391 
 
 varied aspect, dense forests, desert plateaux, many small 
 villages, and the entire face of the land one vast field ol 
 grain. The road was a regular and beaten highway of 
 trade ; many Arab caravans were passed, with large 
 quantities of ivory, and many slaves. Three weeks out 
 of Bagamoyo, Stanley met Salim Bin Rashid, " bound 
 eastward, with a huge caravan carrying three hundred 
 ivory tusks," and he had something to say about Living- 
 stone. He had met the wayworn traveller at Ujiji, had 
 lived in the next hut to him for two weeks, described 
 him as looking old, with long grey moustaches and 
 beard, just recovered from severe illness, looking very 
 wan; when fully recovered, Livingstone intended to 
 visit a country called Manyuema by way of Marunga. 
 But this was no news to Stanley, for later information 
 had already reached Zanzibar and England that Living- 
 stone had started on this journey to a far country, but 
 had not yet returned. Had Livingstone been still in 
 Manyuema when Mr. Stanley arrived at Ujiji, there 
 would probably have been some news of him there, 
 whether he were living or dead, for Manyuema is a 
 trading country, and, in respect to a white man, intelli- 
 gence travels very quickly in these parts. Praise is 
 therefore due to Mr. Stanley, not merely because he 
 found Livingstone, but especially because he forced his 
 way through all hindrances, and" dared great dangers in 
 order to reach Ujiji, where he was nearly certain either 
 to find the traveller or to obtain news of him. 
 
 In a month after leaving Bagamoyo, the caravan 
 reached Simbamwenni, " the lion city," in the fertile and 
 populous valley of the Ungerengeri. The grasping 
 Sultana exacted tribute of several doti (four-yard pieces) 
 
392 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 of clotli, and here Stanley was attacked with intermittent 
 fever. It was the rainy season, and the weather was 
 wretched; the donkeys and tlie porters floundered along, 
 half drowned in the flooded swamps and rivers. Far- 
 quhar had gone onwards in charge of one of the detach- 
 ments, and news came that he was ill, and that his 
 caravan was disorganized. He was overtaken in a few 
 days, and found laid up in his tent, suffering from a 
 variety of ailments, arid having squandered most waste- 
 fully a large portion of the cloth which he had with him. 
 Shaw, the other sailor overseer, became sick also, and 
 was lazy besides, and lagged with his detachment ; men 
 deserted, and donkeys sickened and died, but still the 
 indomitable leader kept the caravan on the move, and 
 made his way to the Mpwapwa hills : these presented 
 beautiful views of wood and pasture, and the fertile 
 plains abounded with villages. In one of these Far- 
 quhar was left, well cared for, but died in a few days. 
 
 Arriving at Ugogo, the Sultan exacted the uttermost 
 tribute of doti. All through the kingdom of Ugogo 
 there are extensive fields of grain, and a bold and inde- 
 pendent people. The way was pleasant, but there were 
 many village-sultans who claimed honga; the only 
 method of progress was to pay them, and pass on. The 
 agreeable was always mixed with its opposite — a porter 
 would sicken of small-pox and be left by the roadside 
 to die ; a donkey would prove unable to carry its load, 
 and must be abandoned ; the porters would be on the 
 verge of mutiny one day, and the next would be singing 
 songs in honour of the " great master :" but notwith- 
 standing all drawbacks, they proceeded through a coun- 
 try of happy pastoral aspect, the lowing of cattle and the 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 393 
 
 bleating of goats and sheep being heard everywhere, and 
 entered Unyanyembe on the 23rd of June, 1871, ninety 
 days from Bagamoyo, with flags flying, horns blowing, 
 and guns firing, every soldier in a new tarboosh and a 
 clean white shirt, and every porter with his best cloth 
 about his loins. 
 
 The Arab merchants at Unyanyembe received Mr. 
 |[ Stanley wdth hospitable welcome ; but the news of 
 the place was serious — a certain Mirambo of Uyoweh 
 had blocked the road to TJjiji, and declared that no 
 caravan should pass through the country except over 
 
 (his dead body. This was ruin to the Arab trade, and the 
 merchants resolved to clear the road at once by force of 
 arms, to sally forth with their slaves, and make war 
 upon Mirambo, till, as Soud, the son of Sayd, the son of 
 Majid, said, " We have got his beard under our feet, and 
 can travel through any part of the country wdth only 
 our walking canes in our hands." Stanley resolved to 
 go with the Arab army, trusting that, after the defeat -of 
 Mirambo and his banditti, the road would be open to- 
 wards Ujiji. The Arabs and their followers, two thou- 
 sand two hundred and fifty-five in number, one thousand 
 five hundred being armed with muskets-, mustered their 
 forces at Mfuto, a trading post and stronghold three 
 days on the way towards Ujiji, where Mr. Stanley, who 
 had been delayed at Unyanyembe by a bad fever, joined 
 with his force of fifty men, and, leaving his goods at 
 Mfuto, sallied out with the rest to engage Mirambo. 
 They first of all took a palisaded village by storm, and 
 two days later a forest chief was caught asleep, and his 
 head " stretched backwards, . and his head cut off, as 
 though he were a goat or a sheep ;" and then Soud bin 
 
 2 D 
 
394 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Sayd led five liundred men against \Yilyankura, Mi- 
 rambo's stronghold. Driven to his tent by a fever, 
 Stanley remained with the main body, and was lying 
 covered up with blankets, when the whole camp was 
 suddenly tlirown into consternation by the dismal news 
 of the defeat and slaughter of Soud bin Sayd and half 
 his force. Wilyankura had been captured, but the 
 crafty Mirambo had laid an ambush, and massacred the 
 Arabs and their followers as they were returning through 
 the long grass, laden with more than a hundred tusks of 
 ivory, sixty bales of cloth, and several hundred slaves. 
 All that night the women of the camp howled for their 
 husbands, and the next day there were stormy councils 
 of war, ending in a general and sudden retreat to Mfuto. 
 Mr. Stanley staggered from his tent to find himself 
 deserted by all but seven of his own people. The don- 
 keys were saddled and urged to a trot, and in an agony 
 of pain and fever he followed the flying slaves and 
 Arabs to Mfuto. Mfuto was reached at midnight. He 
 found that all his men had arrived there before dark. 
 Ulimengo, a bold guide who had exalted in his weapons 
 and in the number of Stanley's men, and had been very 
 sanguine of victory, had performed the eleven hours' 
 march in six hours ; Chowpereh, whom his master had 
 regarded as one of the most faithful of his people, had 
 arrived only half an hour later than Ulimengo ; and 
 Khamasi, " a dandy, and an orator, and a rampant dema- 
 gogue," had arrived the third. Speke's " faithfuls " had 
 proved as cowardly as any of them all. Only Selim, an 
 Arab boy from Jerusalem, had proved brave and true. 
 Shaw proved that he possessed a soul as base and mean, 
 if not meaner, than that of any of the Negroes. 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 395 ' 
 
 Mr. Stanley returned with the beaten army to 
 Unyanyembe ; Mirambo attacked the town, but was 
 driven off. Not brooking this delay, Stanley determined 
 to push for Ujiji by a southern detour, and so to cir- 
 cumvent Mirambo. He had to leave Shaw behind hini, 
 he being now incurably ill ; and he had to pay very 
 high for porters ; but after a delay of three months in 
 Unyanyembe, he finally triumphed over all his difS- 
 culties, and started for Ujiji on the 20th of September. 
 Dr. Kirk's men, who had left Bagamoyo while he was 
 there, had arrived at Unyanyembe on the 15th of May, 
 a month before him. He offered to take the goods on 
 with him to Ujiji, but Sheikh bin Nasib, to whose care 
 they had been consigned, would not hear of this, being 
 sure that the white man was going on to his death. 
 Mr. Stanley, however, took the letter-bag, and w^ent 
 onwards, with a flying caravan of fifty-four men, carrying 
 light loads of cloth, beads, ammunition, tents, medicines, 
 and supplies. The march to Ujiji was a continuance of 
 fever, desertions, the extortions of chiefs, with other 
 delays and dangers. But the 3rd of November arrived, 
 and it was a day to be remembered : — 
 
 " About 10 A.M. appeared from the direction of Ujiji a 
 caravan of eighty Waguhha. We asked the news, and 
 were told a white man had just arrived at Ujiji from 
 Manyuema. This news startled us all. * A white man ?' 
 we asked. * Yes, a white man,' they replied. * How is 
 he dressed ?' ' Like the master,' they answered, referring^ 
 to me. * Is he young or old ? ' ' He is old, and has 
 white hair on his face, and is sick.' * Where has he 
 come from ?' * From a very far country away beyond 
 Ugahha, called Manyuema.' * Indeed, and is he stopping 
 
 2 D 2 
 
396 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 at Ujiji now ?' * Yes, we saw him about eight days ago/ 
 ' Do you think he will stop there until we see him ? ' 
 ' Sigue ' (don't know). * Was he ever at Ujiji before ? ' 
 ^ Yes, he went away a long time ago.' " 
 
 Mr. Stanley now pushed on, stealing through the 
 villages by night and travelling through a fine game 
 country. The broad waters of the Tanganyika were 
 sighted on the 10th of November, and with guns firing 
 and the stars and stripes flying, the New York Herald 
 Expedition descended the hill and entered Ujiji. The 
 news of the arrival of the white man's caravan had 
 spread through the town, and the principal Arab mer- 
 chants, Mahomed bin Sali, Sayd bin Majid, Abin bin 
 Suliman, Mahomed bin Gharib, and others, were dis- 
 cussing the matter with Dr. Livingstone before the 
 verandah of his house. Stanley says : " I pushed back 
 the crowds, and, passing from the rear, walked down a 
 living avenue of people, until I came in front of the 
 semicircle of Arabs, in the front of which stood the 
 white man with the grey beard. As I advanced slowly 
 towards him, I noticed he was pale, had a grey beard, 
 wore a bluish cap with a faded gold band round it, had 
 on a red-sleeved waistcoat, and a pair of grey tweed 
 trousers. I would have run towards him, only I was a 
 coward in the presence of such a mob; would have 
 embraced him, only he being an Englishman, I did 
 not know how he would receive it; so 1 did what 
 cowardice and false pride suggested was the best thing — 
 walked deliberately to him, took off my hat, and said, 'Dr. 
 Livingstone, I presume ? ' * Yes,' said he with a kind 
 smile, lifting his cap slightly. I replace my hat on my 
 •head and he puts on his cap, and we both grasp hands. 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 397 
 
 and I then say aloud, ' I tliank God, Doctor, I have been 
 permitted to see you.' He answered, ' I feel thankful 
 that I am here to welcome you.' " 
 
 So it vras that Mr. Stanley on November the 10th, 
 1871, the 236th day from Bagamoyo, and the 51st from 
 Unyanyembe, found Livingstone. 
 
 The post-bag which Mr. Stanley had brought from 
 Unyanyembe had been just a year on the road from 
 Zanzibar. It was now soon delivered, and the Doctor 
 read letters from his children and friends and heard the 
 great news of the world ; the Arabs sent dishes of 
 chicken and rice, a bottle of champagne carried up 
 from the coast for the great occasion was produced, and 
 Livingstone, who looked w^an and weary, and had been 
 complaining that he had no appetite, now ate like a 
 hungry man, repeating, "You have brought me new 
 life ; you have brought me new life." This was on the 
 first day. Next morning Mr. Stanley told Livingstone 
 the origin and history of his journey, which excited 
 in the traveller emotions of cordial appreciation and 
 thankfulness. 
 
 At the time of Mr. Stanley's arrival, Livingstone 
 possessed " but twenty cloths or so in the world," and, 
 as he said himself, had " a near prospect of beggary 
 among the Ujijians." It is true, the goods of Dr. Kirk's 
 1871 caravan were waiting at Unyanyembe, and in a 
 few months, when the war with Mirambo was over and 
 the roads were open, the Doctor and his five men would 
 have had no difficulty in finding their way there with 
 an xlrab caravan, though he would have had to pay 
 smartly for his escort. At Unyanyembe he would have 
 heard news of the Eoyal] Geographical expedition, and 
 
398 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 when it joined him he might have resumed his journey 
 with an excellent equipment, as he soon afterwards 
 resumed it by means of other arrangements. But 
 it ought to be remembered that Dr. Livingstone 
 was in miserable health and spirits, and sinking ; and 
 that, although the relief brought him by Mr. Stanley 
 soon restored him, the great traveller might otherwise 
 have died at Ujiji. We speak merely of the results of 
 the expedition organised by the New YorJc Herald ; with 
 the motives and reasons by whose prompting it was at 
 first suggested we have nothing to do. It may be that 
 blended with these there was a sentiment of due regard 
 to the credit and continued success of that journal. 
 But mere commercial speculation might easily have 
 found other fields, and the enterprise itself was truly 
 generous and large-hearted, while it was courageously 
 and well carried out. 
 
 Livingstone gave Mr. Stanley a general account of 
 his explorations south and west of Lake Tanganyika, 
 and particularly of those lakes and rivers of tlie con- 
 nection of which with the Nile he has so firm a conviction. 
 Geographers at home seem to be of opinion that he is 
 upon the sources of the Congo, not those of the Nile, 
 — the Congo being the great river which runs into the 
 South Atlantic above Loanda. But this is a problem 
 which remains to be solved. Livingstone had also 
 much to tell of Kua and Manyuema, countries beyond 
 Tanganyika, to which the Arab traders have only 
 recently made their way, and where ivory is so plentiful 
 that the people make their door-posts of great tusks. 
 He could, moreover, speak of cojjper mines, and of th 
 manufacture of a finelv woven and dyed grass-cloth, as 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 399 
 
 well as of fertile districts dotted with towns and villages, 
 in which the people had dwelt peacefully and happily till 
 the Arabs came and desolated the land with the accursed 
 slave-trade. He himself witnessed one of their horrible 
 massacres, when Tagamoyo, a half-caste Arab, and his 
 gang of armed slaves opened fire suddenly in a crowded 
 market-place, killing some four hundred men, w^omen, 
 and children. Livingstone writes of the '* sore heart 
 made still sorer by the woful sights " he had seen in 
 this journey ; but expressly says that it was not these 
 which deterred him from further exploring the country ; 
 but the conduct of his own followers, by whom he was 
 " baffled, worried, defeated, and forced to return when 
 almost in sight of the end of the geographical part of 
 his mission." 
 
 On his way to Ujiji Stanley never turned to the right 
 or the left ; for, as he says, he had come to Africa, not 
 to explore the country or to shoot game, but to find 
 Livingstone. But Livingstone being found, and after 
 a time well and strong and in good spirits, Stanley's 
 men and stores enabled the two travellers to solve a 
 geographical problem which lay at their doors, and the 
 solution of which was Mr. Stanley's direct claim to the 
 Victoria medal. It was well known that the Rusisi 
 River joined the Tanganyika at its head, a hundred 
 miles above Ujiji ; but whether the river flowed into the 
 lake, or out of it northwards to the Albert N'Yanza and 
 the Nile, had not been determined. Sayd bin Majid's 
 large canoe was therefore borrowed and loaded, and 
 with a crew of sixteen of Stanley's men, Livingstone 
 and he coasted the east side of the Tanganyika to its 
 head, and found that the Rusisi flowed into the lake. 
 
400 AFKICA. 
 
 Tliey were absent from Ujiji four weeks, and, with the 
 exception of another attack of fever from which Mr. 
 Stanley suffered, the cruise seems to have been most 
 enjoyable. The shores were tliickly dotted with fishing 
 villages, sending out their flotillas of canoes, while the 
 plains were occupied with pasturing herds of cattle, and 
 the hills wooded or clothed with green grass, bearing 
 on their lower slopes Indian corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, 
 and other crops. The people seemed to be comfortable 
 and happy, and, as Mr. Stanley says, it is sad to think 
 of them as bought up by the Arabs for a couple of doti 
 of cloth, and taken away from such homes to Zanzibar 
 to pick cloves or do hamal work, and be at the mercy of 
 unwise and unkind owners. The natives were in general 
 well disposed, always excepting the exaction of the 
 customarv " hono^a ;" but once or twice the cruisers 
 found themselves in dangerous quarters. The Bakari 
 people called to them to come ashore, threatening them 
 with the vengeance of the great Wami if they did not. 
 Of course they did not ; and when they began to throw 
 stones at the canoe, and one of their missiles came 
 within a foot of Mr. Stanley's arm, he suggested that a 
 bullet should be sent among them to teach them better 
 manners, but Livingstone, though he said nothing, yet 
 showed plainly enough that lie did not quite approve 
 of this." 
 
 At Bemba the canoe halted that the men might chip 
 off a piece of pipe-clay to insure a safe voyage — a 
 Wajiji superstition generations old, if one may judge by 
 the excavation which the observance of it has made in 
 the chalk cliff. The natives seemed to be peacefully 
 disposed, and the company in the canoe, going ashore. 
 
STANLEY AND LIYINGSTOXE. 401 
 
 made tlieir breakfast and waited; but ere Ions: the 
 drunken son of the chief came upon them, and by and 
 by the father, also intoxicated, with a number of the 
 people, and threatened to kill them, because the son of 
 a former chief had been murdered at Ujiji. Livingstone 
 was absent, having ascended a hill the better to see the 
 country, and Stanley was disposed to fight; but his 
 more experienced companion, haying returned, though 
 with difficulty, by much tact and kindness succeeded in 
 preserving the peace. The chief accepted their present, 
 and they went on their way. 
 
 They returned to Ujiji on the 13th of December, 1871, 
 and several plans having been proposed and discussed, 
 Livingstone finally resolved to accept as far as Unyan- 
 yembe the escort which was offered by his companion, 
 and to wait at that place until the arrival of the men 
 and stores necessary to enable him to resume his 
 journey, and which Mr. Stanley undertook to forward 
 to him immediately upon his arrival at Zanzibar. To 
 wait at Unyanyembe was more especially needful in 
 regard to the men, since, in accordance with Mr. Bennett's 
 instructions, "to help him should he require it," Stanley 
 was about to make him a present of so large a quantity 
 of stores that only a few extra articles would be neces- 
 sary. Before leaving Ujiji Livingstone began writing 
 up his " Mammoth Letts's Diary " from his field note- 
 books. He wrote also to his friends, and wrote also 
 two long letters which heartily thanked Mr. Bennett, 
 and which were in accordance with the special corre- 
 spondent's instructions, to "get what news of his dis- 
 coveries you can." 
 
 In order to avoid the Mirambo war which was still 
 
402 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 raginp: along the ordinary road to Ujiji, Mr. Stanley, 
 who had travelled it, proposed a voyage of some sixty 
 miles down the lake, that they should strike inland 
 from Cape Tongwe to his former track, and follow 
 its semicircular sweep to Unyanyembe. The Doctor 
 agreed, and the course answered perfectly. They kept 
 Christmas-day at Ujiji with royal fare of mutton from 
 fat broad-tailed sheep and goats, with zogga and pombe, 
 eggs, fresh milk, plantains, singwe, fine corn-flour, fish, 
 onions, and sweet potatoes, and on the 27th of December 
 the two canoes, hoisting, the one the American, and 
 the other the British flag, left Ujiji. Cape Tongwe 
 was safely reached, and the land journey commenced on 
 the 7th of January, 1872 — Unyanyembe being entered 
 on the 18th of February, fifty- three days from Ujiji. 
 On the road Mr. Stanley was racked with fevers, and 
 Dr. Livingstone suffered from sore feet, but marched 
 and ate " like a hero," and Mr. Stanley bears witness to 
 his great powers of travel, his knowledge of rocks, 
 trees, fruits, and everything concerning Africa, as well 
 as his skill in " camp-craft and all its cunning devices." 
 
 Letters and papers for both travellers had met them 
 a few marches before Unyanyembe. Dr. Kirk's caravan 
 was still w^aiting. The provisions were in bad order, 
 had been robbed, and were altogether in an unsatis- 
 factory condition. Some shoes and stockings which had 
 been sent by a friend, greatly delighted Livingstone. 
 " He tried them on, and exclaimed, ' Kichard is himself 
 again.'" Stanley now gave Livingstone forty loads 
 of stores and supplies, making, with the thirty loads 
 sent by Dr. Kirk, a quantity sufficient for four years. 
 
 Mr. Stanley left for the coast with Livingstone's 
 
STANLEY AND LIYINGSTONE. 
 
 403 
 
 letters and a sealed diary, and his own journals, on the 
 14th of ]\Iarch, and reached Bagamoyo on the 6th of 
 May. The up-journey over the same ground had taken 
 one hundred days, but the homeward march was ac- 
 complished in fifty-three. Mr. Stanley did good service 
 to Livingstone in thus hurrying to Zanzibar to despatch 
 as soon as possible the fifty men, the arms and am- 
 munition, the nautical almanacs, the chronometers, and 
 the other supplies required before the traveller could 
 start upon the final and' decisive exploration of the 
 great watershed he has discovered. 
 
 At Bagamoyo Mr. Stanley found the Eoyal Geo- 
 graphical Society's expedition, and all the world knows 
 how Lieutenant Dawson and his subordinates threw up 
 their commands in turn ; and how a costly expedition 
 for which Dr. Livingstone, in his last letter, says that 
 he could have found plenty of work, came to a fruitless 
 end. The Geographical Society condemned this pre- 
 cipitancy on the part of Lieutenant Dawson as a 
 " lamentable error of judgment," and there the matter 
 had as well be left. 
 
 Mr. Stanley, before leaving Zanzibar, enlisted men 
 and organised with the English ' money and stores 
 available, and the co-operation of Mr. Oswell Living- 
 stone, the Doctor's son, who had been a member of 
 the Geographical Society's expedition, the additional 
 caravan required by the traveller, and saw it start for 
 Bagamoyo and the interior on the 17th of May. The 
 last news from Dr. Livingstone is dated Unyanyembe, 
 July 1st, four months all but a few days after Mr. 
 Stanley left him. He was still waiting for "the 
 fifty men," who must soon have joined him, so 
 
404 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 that he and they are now in all probability in the 
 midst of the new explorations. In this letter Dr. 
 Livingstone informs Lord Granville that his purpose 
 in this new journey is to round the south end of 
 Tanganyika, proceed to Lake Baugweolo, and thence 
 " go straight west to the ancient fountains reported at 
 that end of the watershed," visit the copper mines of 
 Karanga, lakes Lincoln and Kamolondo, and thence 
 retire along the latter lake to Ujiji and home. The 
 " ancient fountains," Dr. Livingstone thinks, may be 
 the uttermost source of the whole Nile system referred 
 to by Herodotus. It must be noted that this route is 
 devoted to the verifying of the courses of the water- 
 shed which Dr. Livingstone traced from 12^ south 
 to 4^ south, a few miles short of the unknown lake 
 near which he was compelled by his men to turn. 
 But the extent of " the large, reedy lake " itself and 
 the direction of its waters, whether north to the Nile 
 or west to the Congo, such a journey as Dr. Livingstone 
 proposes will not resolve. Unless he extend his pro- 
 gramme, there will still be room for the work of " the 
 Congo-Livingstone expedition " sent out by the Eoyal 
 Geographical Society. 
 
 AVhen Mr. Stanley arrived in England, he was 
 received with a cordial welcome by the general public, 
 and honoured in many ways. Unhappily the Geo- 
 graphical Society and he did not for a short time 
 understand each other, and strong words were employed 
 by both parties; but time and explanation and personal 
 courtesies softened down asperities, and the Society 
 cordially awarded him the Yictoria medal, while Her 
 Majesty the Queen accorded him a personal interview, 
 
STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE. 405 
 
 and presented him with a valuable memento of her 
 appreciation of his great achievement, and of the 
 interest which she takes in the welfare and the success 
 of that great Englishman for whose relief and comfort 
 he had done and dared so much. 
 
 The Eoyal G-eographical Society soon afterwards came 
 to the conclusion that, to be at all sure of helping 
 Livingstone, and in order to the complete opening up of 
 Africa, an expedition ought to start at once from the 
 western coast and the mouth of the Congo. As may 
 be seen from any map of the continent, the great river 
 Zaire, or Congo, flows into the Gulf of Guinea, and its 
 channel, so far as traced, comes down from those same 
 blank r^ions, of which Livingstone's discoveries are 
 filling up the farther or eastern side. If the Lualaba 
 does not emerge by the mouth of the Congo, it does 
 not flow westwards at all; if it does, and Livingstone 
 should find himself upon the upper waters of this 
 stream, an expedition sailing from its mouth would 
 have the best chance of aiding him, and would at the 
 same time have the opportunity of exploring the most 
 mysterious country of Africa. Much might be accom- 
 plished in such an enterprise for two thousand pounds, 
 and this sum has been most generously promised and 
 paid by Mr. Young, an old friend of Livingstone's, and 
 who has also since added most munificently to his pre- 
 vious gifts. The leader of the expedition is Lieutenant 
 Grandy, K.N., an officer who has had much experience in 
 the African rivers, and with the Kroomen in the repres- 
 sion of the slave-trade. The undertaking is called the 
 " Congo-Livingstone Expedition " — a designation which 
 emphasises its double object — namely, to complete, if 
 
406 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 possible, the survey of this great stream, and to convey 
 succour and comfort to the great traveller if, as the 
 geographers confidently believe, he is really all the 
 while upon the upper waters of the Congo, and not 
 upon those of the Nile. The party started from St. 
 Paul de Loanda, and is now engaged in the work 
 assigned to it. 
 
 The Zaire, or Congo, is a magnificent river, more 
 wonderful than the Nile even, if indeed the Lualaba 
 feeds it. In any case, it is one of the greatest puzzles 
 of African chartography ; for when the slate cliffs, 
 which rise one hundred and forty miles from its mouth, 
 are once passed, it broadens out into a majestic tide of 
 five miles wide, with an extraordinary depth, while the 
 verdure and richness of its upper reaches are amazing. 
 Captain Tuckey did not ascend much higher than the 
 slate-rocks, and the shellals ;" but he saw a wonderful 
 region, and it was said that beyond this lay a most 
 populous, fertile, and salubrious district, un visited by 
 the foot of any European ; although by all accounts 
 the very garden of the Libyan continent. Marvellous 
 forests, strange animals, picturesque scenery, nameless 
 but precious productions, and vast swarms of men 
 waiting for trade and knowledge, are said to be found 
 in that round white blot which still marks the best 
 map of Africa. It may or may not be that Webb's 
 Lualaba and the large volume of Lake Lincoln pour 
 into the mighty and strange stream which, in the dry 
 season of Loanga, often swells suddenly to some seven 
 or eight extra feet of broad flood. But assuredly the* 
 Zaire conceals notable secrets from science ; and while 
 it may probably lead Lieutenant Grandy and his com- 
 
DEATH OF LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 407 
 
 panions to Livingstone's ground, it is sure to conduct 
 any competent explorers to most valuable discoveries. 
 
 Lieutenant Cameron and another party are engaged 
 in providing for the Doctor's relief, and in carrying 
 forward his explorations in connection with Lake 
 Tanganyika. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased 
 to grant to Dr. Livingstone an annual pension of 300Z., 
 in acknowledgment of his great services. 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 Thus far had we written when intelligence reached 
 this country to the effect that the great tfaveller was 
 dead. That intelligence was conveyed in such terms 
 as, after due consideration of the particulars which were 
 stated, produced the conviction, in most minds, that it 
 was true. There was indeed some amount of con- 
 troversy and doubt on the part of a few. Sir Bartle 
 Frere, Dr. Kirk, Mr. Moffat— the traveller's father-in- 
 law — and others, hesitated to believe the report ; but their 
 hesitation probably arose from the esteem and affection 
 with which they regarded the deceased, and their 
 consequent unwillingness to realise the fact that they 
 had lost so dear a friend. They based their hopes upon 
 the apparent impossibility of his having reached the 
 place at which he was said to have died, it having 
 been known what routes he had intended and had 
 followed; that similar reports had been circulated 
 before — they being false, and that no European had 
 been present with the natives who had witnessed the 
 reported decease. 
 
 The intelligence having originally been brought 
 to Unyanyembe by Chuma and Sussa, both of whom 
 
408 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Mr. Stanley found faithfully adhering to the traveller 
 in all his difficulties — they being also, at the time of 
 his death, two of the Doctor's most faithful attendants 
 (the former his personal servant) — and that intelligence 
 being of so minute and peculiar a character, tlie tra- 
 veller's own son, who was in Africa when the news 
 reached him, at once received the report as true, and 
 mourned for his father as for the dead. 
 
 Lieutenant Cameron, of the Livingstone expedition, 
 under date Unyanyembe, October 13th, 1873, wrote 
 home the particulars of which he had been informed. 
 He tells us that his knowledge of the details had been 
 obtained from Chuma, who stated that when he left the 
 caravan to hasten onward with the painful news, they 
 were utterly destitute from want of provisions ; that 
 they had passed the northern shores of Lake Bemba 
 (Bangweolo), and arrived at about 10° S. lat., on the 
 Luapula, when the Doctor was attacked with dysentery, 
 which carried him off in about ten days or a fortnight. 
 His attendants had embalmed the body in their own 
 rude fashion, and were bringing it along with them. 
 They had also two boxes of books with them, and 
 there was also another at Ujiji, which the Doctor had 
 told them before he died likewise to procure and to 
 take with them to the coast. Cameron intimated in his 
 letter that, as the caravan consisted of seventy or eighty 
 men, he intended to send part down to the coast at 
 once with the body, and to take part to Ujiji, to bring 
 back the box. The letter concluded by stating that 
 Livingstone had first reached the middle of the shore of 
 Lake Bemba. Being unable to cross, he had doubled 
 back and rounded the lake, crossing the Chambesi and 
 
DEATH OF LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 409 
 
 tliree other rivers flowing into it. He had then 
 gone, as Cameron believed, lookiDg for the fountains of 
 Herodotus, and, as he also thought, had crossed the 
 Luapula to the eastward, marching in a fearfully marshy 
 country, with the water for three hours at a time above 
 his waist. Ten of the men connected with the caravan 
 had died, and several had run away. 
 
 And thus closed the earthly career of one of the 
 greatest explorers ever known. Her Majesty the Queen 
 has been graciously pleased to grant a pension of 200Z. 
 to his children. His mortal remains are worthy of the 
 greatest honour which England can give them, and 
 of the most sacred sepulture in England which the 
 placing of them side by side with our most deeply 
 revered dead can afford them. It is proposed that 
 on the arrival of his body, it should be buried in 
 Westminster Abbey. His name will ever be a glory to 
 his own country ; and he was the best and truest friend 
 of Africa whom the sable children of that great con- 
 tinent ever possessed among the children of Japheth. 
 He has closed his course while still engaged in his 
 lifelong task of opening up to light and knowledge 
 those unknown regions in the welfare of which he was 
 interested so deeply. It is matter of hearty thank- 
 fulness that he has not perished by the hand of man, 
 or been the victim of treachery on the part of those for 
 whom he cared. 
 
 He has died, as he must many times have expected 
 to die, with his w^eary feet still treading the unmapped 
 forest-paths and river-banks of the African wilderness. 
 But he had faced the likelihoods of a " death in harness " 
 far too often not to have been prepared for it ; and 
 
 2 E 
 
410 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 much as he would have valued the presence M'ith 
 him at the last hour of those who were dear to him, and 
 desired that they should receive his final farewells and 
 close his eyes, yet we may be well assured that he 
 breathed his last with calm resignation to the will of 
 Heaven, and with all the gladness of the good servant 
 who knows that the hour has come for him to " go home 
 and take his wages." Though alone, he was yet not 
 alone. He had been accustomed, for years at a time, 
 to wander in those deserts with none near him who 
 could fully understand him — none save One, and, with 
 that One Great Solitary Intelligence ever by him, he 
 had full communion of spirit with none besides. He 
 was with His servant at the last, let us not doubt. And 
 if it be indeed true, as we know it to be from the 
 highest authority, that there are creatures of a high 
 intellectual and moral order who are "ministering 
 spirits to the heirs of salvation," we may well believe 
 that his lowly tent death-bed was not un surrounded 
 by those who, receiving his last sigh, willingly bore 
 away his spirit with them that he might share the 
 glory of their home of light. 
 
 Mr. Stanley has the melancholy satisfaction that he 
 was, in all probability, the last man of his own race 
 whom the traveller ever saw, and his parting adieus to 
 him were the sounds in which the notes of his native 
 tongue last fell upon his ear. 
 
 His countrymen have longed beyond measure to 
 welcome him back, with his toils all consummated, and 
 to hear the story of his untold travels from his own lips. 
 It was a great event to hope for, and the whole world 
 would have joined with us in honouring the renowned 
 
DEATH OF LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 411 
 
 explorer of the African interior. But now nothing 
 remains for ns but to honour his dust, to revere 
 his memory, and to follow up the work which he has 
 so well begun. After all, there was a fitting projDriety 
 in Livingstone's death. Nothing tame or common- 
 place mars his grand record. No tedious sequel of 
 feeble old age contrasts with the iron manhood of his 
 prime. At the last league of his vast journeyings, 
 while looking for the fountains of the Nile, and 
 probably near them, he has gone to that celestial 
 bourn whence " no traveller e'er returns." 
 
 No man ever better did his life-work or kept a 
 purer and kinder heart along with courage so dauntless, 
 endurance so heroic, and purpose so resolutely fixed. 
 In all positions he was a real man, a true friend, and a 
 sincere Christian. The number of his private friend- 
 ships was very large. Wherever he went he formed 
 friendships, both among black men and white, and 
 those friendships were lasting. He never ceased to 
 regard himself as a missionary. In all his wanderings, 
 he was fain to embrace opportunities of making known 
 the true God, and of preaching the Gospel of His Son. 
 Indeed, after he was in the eyes of mankind only the 
 traveller, he was in some respects more the missionary 
 than he had ever been while doing ministerial ^^•ork at 
 one station — he carried Divine truth into " the regions 
 beyond," and did not thus encroach upon any other 
 man's line of things made ready to his hand." 
 
 The geographical work which this one indomitable, 
 lion-hearted, true-souled man has achieved can only be 
 estimated by those who know the map of Africa as 
 Livingstone found it in 1840, and that same map as 
 
 2 E 2 
 
412 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 enriched by his wonderful tracks. Twice he crossed 
 the continent from sea to sea on foot ; and when Sir 
 Roderick Murchison welcomed him home, in 1856, he 
 had travelled already over eleven thousand miles 
 of unknown region. In 1858 he started again, explor- 
 ing Lake Nyassa, and again he quitted our shores, in 
 the end of 1865, on his last great enterprise, which has 
 opened up an entirely new country beyond Lake 
 Tanganyika, with rivers, inland waters, and fair 
 uplands, destined one day to be the seat of a happy 
 civilisation. Eespecting these last explorations we 
 cannot now have the advantage of the traveller's own 
 vocal narratives and descriptions, as we had in reference 
 to the former journeys. But the results of this third 
 expedition are doubtless secured* by means of the 
 sealed diary brought home by Mr. Stanley, and which 
 was " to be opened only in the event of his death," and 
 also by the help of the later papers contained in the 
 boxes to which allusion has already been made. 
 
 When Africa is free from the fear of the man-stealer, 
 when her marvellous products are cultivated and manu- 
 factured or exported by peacefully industrious tribes, 
 when the Gospel which he sought to introduce shall 
 be widely known, then shall be remembered in every 
 negro village the " good white man " who gave his life 
 away that he might bring blessing to the homes of 
 the black men, and do good to this great land. The 
 name of Livingstone will be to Africa like that of 
 Cadmus to Europe, or of Columbus to America. 
 
( 413 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI. 
 
 SIE BARTLE FRERE AXD HIS MISSION. 
 
 Little more than a hundred years ago Granville 
 Sharpe gave to the world the result of his inquiries 
 into the law of England on the toleration of slavery 
 in the United Kingdom. In 1729, the then Attorney 
 and Solicitor-generals, Yorke and Talbot, gave it as 
 their opinion, that a slave, coming to England, did not 
 become free, but might be legally compelled to return 
 to his master. After a carelul examination of the 
 subject, Granville Sharpe concluded "that the senti- 
 ment of Lord Chief Justice Holt, that as soon as a 
 negro comes into England he becomes free, might 
 safely be preferred to all other opinions." Soon after- 
 wards, the action brought on behalf of the negro 
 Somerset, afforded an opportunity of testing the cor- 
 rectness of this opinion, and for tlie establishment, as 
 a rule of law, of Lord Chief Justice Holt's now well- 
 known judgment. Least prominent in the contest 
 which led to this result stands the figure of Granville 
 Sharpe, the prosecutor, who, although its real main- 
 spring, carefully concealed his own connection with it, 
 lest so humble a name should weaken a cause so 
 momentous. Yet poor as he was, and engrossed with 
 the duties of a daily occupation, he supplied the money. 
 
414 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 the leisure, the perseverance, and the learning required 
 for this great controversy. A hundred years have 
 passed away, a century marked by events as important 
 as any that have transpired in the history of the world, 
 and among them no landmark stands out more con- 
 spicuously than the monument which records the 
 history of the abolition of the slave-trade. When a 
 few earnest men were found whose hearts bled for the 
 wrongs of Africa, and whose hands were strong to redress 
 those wrongs, foremost among them stood Granville 
 Sharpe, Clarkson, and Wilberforce. We now witness 
 the result of these men's labours and thankfully rejoice 
 in it. 
 
 , It was in 1789 that Mr. Wilberforce first proposed, 
 in the House of Commons, the abolition of the slave- 
 trade; but twenty long years of labour and sorrow 
 were consumed before his efforts were crowned with 
 success. His bill was lost by a large majority. Bat 
 he returned again and again to the attack, and the 
 House of Commons, in 1794, for the first time passed 
 a bill for the immediate abolition of the slave-trade ; 
 but this was lost in the House of Lords. Still, Wilber- 
 force persevered, amid many discouragements and 
 repeated losses of his great measure, till finally, in 
 1807, the bill was passed which condemned for ever 
 the trade in slaves. Twenty-six years afterwards the 
 abolition of slavery in all British dominions took place, 
 and the example and influence of England soon secured 
 from all European powers treaty-engagements by which 
 trade in African slaves was declared to be piracy and 
 punishable as such. Under these treaties the African 
 squadron was maintained, and mixed courts instituted 
 
SIK BAETLE FEEEE AND HIS MISSION. 415 
 
 at various ports around the African coast, for adjudging 
 all cases of capture or seizure of vessels engaged in the 
 trade. By such means, the slave-trade of the West 
 Coast of Africa has become a thing of the past. 
 
 But while this happy result is chronicled concerning 
 the old Atlantic slave-trade — now for other reasons, and 
 to the credit of strong principle, completely at an end 
 — the annual reports of the British Consul at Zanzibar, 
 and the despatches of the naval officers of the few 
 vessels which form- the East African squadron, tell a 
 different tale. From these reports and despatches we 
 obtain particulars of the trade in slaves carried on 
 between the east African coast and ports on the Persian 
 Gulf, the southern shores of Arabia, and the Red Sea. 
 Dr. Livingstone bears testimony, speaking from personal 
 observation, of the horrors and atrocities which accom- 
 pany the slave raids made to supply this trade ; and all 
 other recent travellers corroborate his testimony. 
 
 It was in the year 1822 that the attention of the 
 British Government was first especially called to the 
 traffic in slaves carried on nominally between the 
 African and Persian dominions of the Imaum of 
 Muscat, but in reality between his African dominions 
 and the very ports on the Red Sea and the Persian 
 Gulf to which slaves have till now been conveyed. 
 The dominions of the Imaum at that time comprised 
 the petty state of Muscat on the southern shore of 
 the Persian Gulf, and a large portion of the African 
 coast, extending from Cape Delgado, at about 11° 
 south latitude, to a port called Jubb, about 1° south 
 of the equator, including the large and important 
 islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia. The British 
 
416 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Government, while declaring its intention of suppressing 
 foreign slave-trading, refused to interfere with slavery 
 as a domestic institution, and accordingly, in the case 
 of the Imaum of Muscat, resolved to permit the slave- 
 trade between port and port in his own dominions; 
 and a treaty to this effect was arranged between our 
 Government and the Imaum. This treaty, dated 10th 
 September, 1822, stipulates that the Imaum will abolish 
 the trade in slaves between his dominions and every 
 Christian country. By the treaty and a subsequent 
 convention, authority to search and detain Muscatian 
 vessels w^as given to Her Majesty's ships, and the ships 
 of war belonging to the East India Company ; and by 
 a further agreement, concluded between the Imaum of 
 Muscat and Her Majesty the Queen, on the 2nd of 
 October, 1845, the Imaum agreed to prohibit, under 
 the severest penalties, not only the export of slaves 
 from his African dominions, but also the importation 
 of slaves from any part of Africa into his dominions in 
 Asia. By that treaty permission is granted to our 
 cruisers to seize and confiscate any vessels carrying on 
 the slave-trade, except only such as are engaged in the 
 transport of slaves from one port to another of the 
 Imaum's African dominions. 
 
 Upon the death of the grandfather of the present 
 Imaum, his dominions were divided between his two 
 sons, one retaining the Persian, and the other succeed- 
 ing to the African territories, with the title of Sultan 
 of Zanzibar. In consideration of the superior wealth 
 and extent of the African dominions claimed by the 
 Sultan of Zanzibar, it was ultimately agreed, after 
 many disputes, that he should pay to his poorer 
 
SIR BARTLE FRERE AND HIS MISSION. 417 
 
 brother, the Imaum, an annual subsidy of about SfiOOl, 
 sterling. Subsequent events have shown that the par- 
 ticular source whence this subsidy was to be drawn 
 was the royalty derived by the Sultan from the slave- 
 trade, of which he had the keys. 
 
 The northern slave-trade is carried on entirely by 
 Arabs, and the chief points between which it is pursued 
 are from the mainland opposite and to the south of 
 Zanzibar, to the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and 
 thence to the Eed Sea and the Persian Gulf. The 
 dhows used in the trade are rapid sailers before a wind, 
 and carry as many as two hundred and fifty slaves. 
 The horrors of the capture, the land-journey, and the 
 sea-passage are most appalling. The port of Quiloa, or 
 Kilwa, lies about one hundred and fifty miles south of 
 the island of Zanzibar, and is the emporium or great 
 mainland mart where thousands are exposed for sale, 
 and whence they are shipped for Zanzibar. On their 
 arrival at Zanzibar, the majority of the slaves pass into 
 the slave-market. Many are at once consigned to 
 their Arab purchasers, who have come down from 
 Arabia with the northerly monsoon, and have hired 
 houses for the reception of their purchases. For every 
 slave thus brought to Zanzibar, the Sultan receives a 
 royalty of two dollars, so that his interest has been 
 concerned in the maintenance of the traffic. Dr. 
 Livingstone says, under date the 11th of June, 1866, 
 speaking of Zanzibar : " This is now almost the only 
 spot in the world where one hundred to three hun- 
 dred slaves are daily exposed for sale in open market. 
 This disgraceful scene I have several times person- 
 ally witnessed, and the purchasers were Arabians or 
 
418 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 Persians, whose dhows lay anchored in the harbour, 
 and these men were daily at their occupation ex- 
 amining the teeth, gait, and limbs of the slaves, as 
 openly as horse-dealers engage in their business in 
 England." In a letter dated Zanzibar, the 4th of 
 October, 1868, Mr. Consul Churchill states, that for 
 the five years terminating September 1867, there had 
 been exported from Quiloa ninety-seven thousand two 
 hundred and fiftv-three resfistered slaves. There had 
 also been from three thousand to four thousand 
 smuggled every year from various parts of the main- 
 land ; so that the total amounts to about one hundred 
 and fifteen thousand slaves, in five years, who have 
 reached the coast, and have been shipped for Zanzibar, 
 Arabia, and other places. Dr. Livingstone again says : 
 " Let it not be supposed for an instant, that those taken 
 out of the country represent all the victims ; they are 
 but a very small section of the sufferers. Besides 
 those actually captured, thousands are killed and die 
 of their wounds and famine, driven from the villa£res bv 
 the slave raid ; thousands in internecine war waged for 
 slaves with their own clansmen and neighbours, slain 
 by the lust of gain, which is stimulated by the slave 
 purchasers. The many skeletons w^e have seen 
 amongst rocks and woods, by the little pools, and 
 along the paths of the wilderness, attest the awful 
 sacrifice of human life which must be attributed, 
 directly or indirectly, to this trade of hell. We would 
 ask our countrymen to believe us when we say, as we 
 conscientiously can, that it is our deliberate opinion, 
 from what we know and have seen, that not one-fifth 
 of the victims of the slave-trade ever become slaves. 
 
SIR BARTLE FRERE AND HIS MISSION. 419 
 
 Taking the Shire valley as an average, we should say, 
 not even one-tenth arrive at their destination." 
 
 Within the last ten or twelve years more attention 
 has been given by our authorities to the subject ; and, 
 in addition to the watch maintained by our small 
 squadron, various measures have been urged upon the 
 Sultan, the adoption of which, it was thought, would 
 materially aid the efforts of our cruisers. Persons 
 acquainted with the traffic give it as their opinion that 
 the trade has suffered no palpable check because of 
 the protection afforded by the British ships over the 
 first and most difficult half of the sea- voyage, it being 
 pretended by tlie dealers that these slaves were for 
 home service. But this has been a false pretence, and, 
 aware of the fact, Lord Eussell in a despatch dated 
 14th March, 1864, says, that " Her l^Iajesty's Govern- 
 ment do not claim the right to interfere in the status 
 of domestic slavery in Zanzibar, nor with the bond fide 
 transport of slaves from one portion of the Sultan's 
 territory to another, so long as this latter traffic shall 
 not be made a cloak to cover the foreign slave-trade." 
 
 It was the conviction that this was systematically 
 being done, that induced the Government in November 
 1872 to send a special mission, under Sir Bartle Frere, 
 to Zanzibar, to demand an entire stoppage and cessation 
 of the slave-trade. It could not be credited that so 
 many as an average of twenty thousand slaves a year 
 could possibly be required for the supply of the 
 domestic demand in Zanzibar ; and it was believed 
 that nothing short of the entire suppression of the 
 traffic would suffice for the protection of the poor people 
 who were its victims. Sir Bartle Frere was especially 
 
420 
 
 AFEIC^. 
 
 qualified for such a trust as that which was reposed 
 in him. At an early age he had entered the Civil 
 Service of India, and in that service had passed through 
 every grade, during a residence of upwards of thirty 
 years, until he reached the highest dignity, the govern- 
 ment of the presidency to which he belonged. His 
 government had been most successful ; and he was a 
 man of vigorous understanding, strong tenacity of 
 purpose, a kindly disposition, a genial manner, and 
 sympathy with suffering. He was, besides, well sup- 
 ported in his present undertaking, by a staff of officers, 
 some of whom were competent geographers, who in- 
 tended to further explore the African interior. 
 
 Having used his influence at Aden and Bombay, 
 in a manner the results of which were favourable, he 
 proceeded to Zanzibar. The Sultan, Syed Burghash, 
 was not at once amenable to reason. He clung to the 
 old treaty of 1845, and officially proclaimed that the 
 ports were open to incoming and outgoing slaves ; but 
 it was seen by the traders who were especially under 
 influence from Bombay, that the British Grovernment 
 was in earnest, and no laden dhows came in and none 
 went out ; and the Customs' receipts fell off accord- 
 ingly. That fact must have helped to open the 
 Sultan's eyes. He had said that his religion would 
 not permit him to grant Sir Bartle Frere's demands, 
 and he had intimated that his people would not 
 endure the proposed restriction. He had indeed been 
 pleasant in all the interviews held with him, and had 
 not objected to the British envoy's assertion that " the 
 sea was God's highway, and ought not to carry slave- 
 ships upon it." But his ofiicers, he said, would not 
 
SIR BARTLE FRERE AND HIS MISSION. 
 
 421 
 
 permit him to abolish the slave-trade. At first, there- 
 fore, he would do nothing — would promise nothing. 
 But the course pursued by the traders enlightened 
 him. These traders were in constant intercourse with 
 places and persons desirous of standing well with this 
 country, and they durst not, therefore, oppose the 
 wishes of the English Government in the matter of the 
 slave-trade. To the Sultan himself the profits of 
 legitimate commerce were greater than those wdiich 
 were derived from this branch of traflSc, and he was 
 not able to brave the danger which now threatened his 
 interests. When the ships of Her Majesty's squadron 
 anchored off Zanzibar, and it was seen that the British 
 Government meant what it said, even the chiefs of the 
 Sultan preferred a quiet arrangement to a blockade. 
 On the 5th of June, 1873, the new treaty was signed 
 by the Sultan, and even the home importation of slaves 
 at Zanzibar is therefore now at an end. 
 
 So far as this country is concerned, having once 
 embarked in this enterprise, there was no alternative 
 but to prosecute it to its full completion. The Sultan 
 of Zanzibar could not be permitted to defy the British 
 Government. The righteous character of our cause, 
 supported by political considerations, made it im- 
 perative that we should overcome the Sultan's oppo- 
 sition. If we had faltered, the evil assailed by Sir 
 Bartle Frere would not only have redoubled its 
 intensity at Zanzibar, but the iniquity of the slave- 
 trade would have been encouraged from the JMozam- 
 bique channel to the Gulf of Suez, from Bab-el-Mandeb 
 to Bushire. Every little state would have been tempted 
 to imitate Syed Burghash ; and British power, so 
 
422 
 
 AFEICA. 
 
 essential to maritime peace in Oriental waters, would 
 have been discredited. But all this has been stopped 
 at its source by the treaty at Zanzibar. Nowhere else 
 did Sir Bartle Frere find the least resistance. Syed 
 Toorkee, the ruler of Muscat, readily acceded to his 
 proposals ; and that fact alone, when reported to Syed 
 Burghash, must have conjured up at once a vision of 
 possible dethronement and exile, and the restoration 
 of a union between Muscat and Zanzibar under the 
 rule of Syed Toorkee. Nor could the recusant Sultan 
 be indifferent to the fact that no Moslem potentate 
 either could or would support him. The Sultan of 
 Turkey, the Shah of Persia, the Khedive of Egypt, the 
 semi-piratical Arab chiefs on the Persian Gulf, even 
 the small states of Eastern Africa, are all in friendly 
 intercourse with this country-— and how could he stand 
 alone ? No doubt a main consideration must have 
 been the squadron under Admiral Cummings, at 
 anchor off the island; and never was a display of 
 irresistible 'force made in a juster cause. A new era 
 on the Eastern Coast of Africa may not date from the 
 5th of June, 1873, but, in closing the slave markets 
 on that day, we have completed the work begun on 
 the West Coast, and have done our part in striking a 
 decisive blow at the greatest curse which has afflicted 
 a vast continent. 
 
( 423 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SCHWEINFUETH. 
 
 Dr G. a. Schweinfurth was born at Riga, in Decem- 
 ber 1836. His father was a mercbant. He studied at 
 Heidelberg and Berlin, and, having become Doctor of 
 Philosophy, devoted himself to the science of botany, 
 of which he had been fond from his boyhood. This 
 passion appears to have been generated in him by one 
 of the masters of his first school, who, being the son 
 of a missionary in South Africa, was accustomed to 
 describe with enthusiasm the plants and animals of that 
 country. This preference was afterwards encouraged 
 and strengthened by the fact that after he had arrived 
 at manhood, a collection of African plants was placed in 
 his hands for classification and arrangement. These 
 had been collected, in 1860, by the young Freiherr von 
 Barnim, who had, in company with Dr. Hartmann, 
 made a journey in the region of the Nile, and had 
 fallen a victim to the climate. As Schweinfurth day 
 by day studied these preserved specimens, he longed 
 to visit the scenes in which he might look upon 
 them in all their beauty and glory. He therefore, in 
 1863, went to Egypt that he might gratify this desire, 
 and advance the honours of the science which he loved. 
 He went at his own cost, and, having explored the 
 
424 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 delta of tlie Nile, proceeded along tlie shores of tlie 
 Red Sea, visited parts of the highlands of Abyssinia, 
 made his way to Khartum, and returned to Europe, 
 after an absence of two years and a half, with a splendid 
 collection of plants. Such was his initiation into 
 African travel. 
 
 He is distinguished by many personal qualifications 
 which are important or essential to a great traveller — 
 patience, simplicity, endurance, scientific enthusiasm, 
 philosophic temper, an iron constitution, a botanist, an 
 entomologist, an artist, a chemist, and a sportsman. 
 
 Subsequently to the death of Alexander von Hum- 
 boldt there had been founded in Berlin, as a monument 
 in honour of that great man, a society which was called 
 " The Humboldt Institution of Natural Philosophy and 
 Travels." The object which it contemplated was, 
 without regard to nationality or creed, to assist talent 
 in every direction in which Humboldt had displayed 
 his scientific energies ; and it was especially provided 
 that the funds should be applied to promote travels in 
 the most remote parts of the world. The Royal 
 Academy of Science of Berlin was invested wnth the 
 power of deciding on the undertakings and of selecting 
 the agents for carrying out the design of this Institute. 
 
 Schweinfurth, having already tasted of what was 
 to him the great enjoyment of African travel, lan- 
 guished for its repetition. He therefore submitted 
 to the Royal Academy of Science a plan and a pro- 
 posal for the botanical and general exploration of the 
 equatorial districts lying west of the Nile. His pro- 
 posal met with a ready sanction, and he received a 
 grant of the disposable funds of the Humboldt Institu- 
 
SCHWEINFQKTH. 
 
 425 
 
 tion, which had been accumulating for five years. He 
 consequently spent the three years from 1868 to 1871 
 in African travel. 
 
 His account of his travels has just been published in 
 an English translation, entitled ' The Heart of Africa.' 
 The English dress in which the narrative comes before 
 us well befits it, and is comprised in two volumes of 
 great beauty, embellished with a profusion of well- 
 executed illustrations. 
 
 In July 1868, Schweinfurth was once more, to his 
 great joy, upon the soil of Africa. Starting from 
 Khartum, he journeyed incessantly, in his explorations, 
 in those wide districts which lie between the tenth and 
 third parallels of north latitude, westward of the White 
 Nile and the N'Yanza lakes. If his course could have 
 been prolonged southwards, it would have brought him 
 straight to the point reached by Livingstone in that 
 marvellous journey of his of which Stanley first gave 
 us the news, and which it was his purpose to again 
 arrive at and pass in what was, alas ! his last and final 
 exploration. 
 
 At Dr. Schweinfurth's farthest point, he was actually 
 not farther from Livingstone's highest known terminus 
 than four hundred miles; and only a deplorable 
 accident prevented him from completing what is one 
 of the most fruitful explorations in African travel. 
 As it is, he pushed beyond the limits which others had 
 reached into savage kingdoms hitherto without a name 
 upon the map, and respecting which he supplies us 
 with many interesting particulars. 
 
 He usually travelled in the company of the Turkish 
 ivory traders, who are accustomed to penetrate into the 
 
 2 F 
 
426 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 far interior in prosecution of their commerce. He had 
 thus the double advantage to be derived from their 
 protection and their experience. 
 
 The variety of scenes through which he thus passed 
 was very great. We find him in widely different circum- 
 stances ; now toiling along grass paths and forests and 
 river banks, now dwelling in the Seribas " or fortified 
 stations of his companions, and now in the villages 
 of the Bongos, and Dinkas, and Niam-niams. He saw 
 everything, and noted everything. He never lost 
 heart, in the most discouraging positions noting, mea- 
 suring, and drawing. In the report of his journey as 
 he has given it to us, there are two great recommenda- 
 tions which render it more valuable : his botanical 
 information is given by one who is scientifically 
 skilled, and his representations of plants and animals 
 and human beings are his own, and as he himself made 
 them by means of his acquaintance with drawing. 
 The illustrations which accompany his narrative are 
 thus especially excellent. 
 
 Nothing seemed to daunt him. By a most disastrous 
 fire he lost in one fatal afternoon the accumulated 
 notes and collections of two years ; but, not despairing, 
 he immediately began to repair the damage ; and how 
 well he succeeded, the immense mass of information 
 which he supplies abundantly testifies. Having lost his 
 pedometer, he actually counted all his steps over one 
 whole expedition that he might fully satisfy himself in 
 regard to his distances. When ink failed him, he 
 drew and made his memoranda with hen's blood. He 
 looked at the bright side of everything in his own 
 experiences, and makes light rather than otherwise of 
 
SCHWEINFURTH. 
 
 427 
 
 his undoubtedly great achievements. But for the fire 
 and an unhappy war which broke out between the 
 traders and the natives, he believes that he might, 
 without difficulty, have accomplished his purpose of 
 traversing the unexplored country beyond Monbutto 
 and Momvoo, which lies in sight of the hills bounding 
 the Mwootan or Albert N'Yanza Lake. 
 
 As those who knew the traveller of course expected 
 from his antecedents, the results of Dr. Schweinfurth's 
 journey are especially rich in the department of botany. 
 Alone and free among the thousand floral and sylvan 
 marvels of the plains and forests of Africa as in a new 
 world, he revelled in the midst of them with a fresh- 
 ness of delight which few, in any circumstances, can 
 have experienced. His botanical collection of precious 
 novelties is prodigious. But he adds largely also to 
 our information in regard to insects, and birds, and 
 beasts, and races of men. 
 
 With respect to the question of the Nile, Schwein- 
 furtli crossed its western watershed, and having arrived 
 at the region from which the Lualaba must come, if it 
 comes northward at all, he found the Welle, the Keebaly, 
 the Gadda, and all the streams flowing westward, and 
 probably to the Shary. This proves the existence of a 
 separate river-system, where Livingstone and Stanley 
 thought there might be found the continuous channel 
 of the Bahr el-Ghazal. 
 
 This traveller has also re-discovered the *' Pygmies " 
 of Herodotus' and the ancient geographers. He found 
 them in a dwarfish people, averaging four feet seven 
 inches in height, living south of King JMunza's terri- 
 tory. They are called the Akka. They are a separate 
 
428 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 natioD, and, notwithstanding their diminutive stature, 
 are much given to hunting and fighting, like the 
 Bushmen of South Africa, whom they resemble. The 
 traveller took one of these people with him, a youth, 
 called Tikkitikki, who went willingly. He was much 
 petted and overfed, however, and sickened and died 
 in Egypt. The Monbuttos and Niam-niams, among 
 whom the traveller lived for a considerable period, are 
 undoubtedly cannibals, although, strange as it may 
 seem, they are gentle and affectionate in their domestic 
 life, and in their general demeanour. 
 
 Schweinfurth joins with all the true-hearted travellers 
 who have gone before him in other fields in Africa, in 
 denouncing the fearful crime of slavery. Travelling as 
 he did in the company of ivory traders, who never 
 restrict themselves to lawful commerce, he had many 
 opportunities of witnessing the liorrors of this traffic. 
 He was sometimes moved to pity, and, on other occa- 
 sions, was excited to earnest indignation. He has but 
 little hope from any efforts against slavery which may 
 be made by the Khedive of Egypt, and much questions 
 the right of that ruler, by armed force, to enter into 
 territories which have hitherto been independent. 
 
 We have in these travels a most important addition 
 made to our knowledge of Africa. A bold plan was 
 projected, and it was nobly and courageously carried 
 out. Sch\^einfurth's name must henceforward stand 
 among the highest of those of the honoured men who 
 have trodden the wilds of this great continent. 
 
( 429 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 CONCLUSIOK. 
 
 We Lave thus surveyed the work of several of those 
 pioneers of light and civilisation who have, in the 
 course of more recent years, explored one of the most 
 deeply interesting portions of the globe, and have seen 
 how they did it. The names of these travellers form a 
 bright roll, to be inscribed on which is a high distinction. 
 The question presses itself upon us, Why this curiosity 
 and prying into the hitherto unpenetrated ? And it is 
 followed by another — This continent better known, to 
 what issues does our augmented knowledge mean to 
 lead us, and what obligations does it impose ? It is 
 man's glory to know — to know the Creator, the creation, 
 and his fellow-creature. Curiosity is not idle. To 
 know for the sake of knowing is for the mind to benefit 
 itself. But the great book of Nature is spread before 
 us by our kSovereign Father that we may read it in all 
 its pages. In some of those which are here, lessons 
 of an important character have lain concealed. We 
 want to con them all. Some have explored Africa that 
 they might further their favourite studies, some that 
 they might find their brothers lost in the darkness, and 
 some that they might relieve the oppressed, and help 
 to save the perishing. Our questions thus flow into 
 
430 
 
 AFRICA. 
 
 each other. It is remarkable that African exploration 
 has been headed and followed up, in not a few instances, 
 by devoted men whose purpose has been the propaga- 
 tion of the Gospel. By all means promote the cultiva- 
 tion of the soil, and develop the natural resources 
 of these countries; by all means promote trade and 
 commerce in connection with tribal and individual 
 industries ; civilise and educate the savage ; but let us 
 not forget that Divine Providence brings these immense 
 multitudes to the knowledge especially of this Christian 
 land, that we may understand our duty to undo the 
 heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free, and that 
 we may, in regard to Christian truth and the teaching 
 of it, feel that in all the ages of the past darkness there 
 has been One who has heard the undefined prayer of 
 the needy, and that " Ethiopia has been stretching out 
 her hands unto God." 
 
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