How I Found Livingstone by Henry M. Stanley (read after .txt) đź“–
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they are dogs who bite besides barking.”
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* White man’s land.
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At 9 A.M. we were in our boma, near Mvumi village; but here also
crowds of Wagogo came to catch a glimpse of the Musungu, whose
presence was soon made known throughout the district of Mvumi.
But two hours later I was oblivious of their endeavours to see me;
for, despite repeated doses of quinine, the mukunguru had sure hold
of me.
The next day was a march of eight miles, from East Mvumi to West
Mvumi, where lived the Sultan of the district. The quantity and
variety of provisions which arrived at our boma did not belie the
reports respecting the productions of Ugogo. Milk, sour and sweet,
honey, beans, matama, maweri, Indian corn, ghee, peanuts, and a
species of bean-nut very like a large pistachio or an almond,
water-melons, pumpkins, mush-melons, and cucumbers were brought,
and readily exchanged for Merikani, Kaniki, and for the white
Merikani beads and Sami-Sami, or Sam-Sam. The trade and barter
which progressed in the camp from morning till night reminded me
of the customs existing among the Gallas and Abyssinians.
Eastward, caravans were obliged to despatch men with cloth, to
purchase from the villagers. This was unnecessary in Ugogo, where
the people voluntarily brought every vendible they possessed to
the camp. The smallest breadth of white or blue cloth became
saleable and useful in purchasing provisions—even a loin-cloth
worn threadbare.
The day after our march was a halt. We had fixed this day for
bearing the tribute to the Great Sultan of Mvumi. Prudent and
cautious Sheikh Thani early began this important duty, the
omission of which would have been a signal for war. Hamed and
Thani sent two faithful slaves, well up to the eccentricities of
the Wagogo sultans—well spoken, having glib tongues and the real
instinct for trade as carried on amongst Orientals. They bore six
doti of cloths, viz., one doti of Dabwani Ulyah contributed by
myself, also one doti of Barsati from me, two doti Merikani Satine
from Sheikh Thani, and two doti of Kaniki from Sheikh Hamed, as a
first instalment of the tribute. The slaves were absent a full
hour, but having wasted their powers of pleading, in vain, they
returned with the demand for more, which Sheikh Thani communicated
to me in this wise:
“Auf! this Sultan is a very bad man—a very bad man indeed;
he says, the Musungu is a great man, I call him a sultan; the
Musungu is very rich, for he has several caravans already gone
past; the Musungu must pay forty doti, and the Arabs must pay
twelve doti each, for they have rich caravans. It is of no use
for you to tell me you are all one caravan, otherwise why so many
flags and tents? Go and bring me sixty doti, with less I will
not be satisfied.”
I suggested to Sheikh Thani, upon hearing this exorbitant demand,
that had I twenty Wasungu* armed with Winchester repeating rifles,
the Sultan might be obliged to pay tribute to me; but Thani
prayed and begged me to be cautious lest angry words might
irritate the Sultan and cause him to demand a double tribute, as he
was quite capable of doing so; “and if you preferred war,” said
he, “your pagazis would all desert, and leave you and your cloth
to the small mercy of the Wagogo.” But I hastened to allay his
fears by telling Bombay, in his presence, that I had foreseen such
demands on the part of the Wagogo, and that having set aside one
hundred and twenty doti of honga cloths, I should not consider
myself a sufferer if the Sultan demanded and I paid forty cloths
to him; that he must therefore open the honga bale, and permit
Sheikh Thani to extract such cloths as the Sultan might like.
Sheikh Thani, having put on the cap of consideration and joined
heads with Hamed and the faithful serviles, thought if I paid
twelve doti, out of which three should be of Ulyah+ quality,
that the Sultan might possibly condescend to accept our tribute;
supposing he was persuaded by the oratorical words of the “Faithfuls,”
that the Musungu had nothing with him but the mashiwa (boat),
which would be of no use to him, come what might,—with which
prudent suggestion the Musungu concurred, seeing its wisdom.
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* White men.
+ Best, or superior.
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The slaves departed, bearing this time from our boma thirty doti,
with our best wishes for their success. In an hour they returned
with empty hands, but yet unsuccessful. The Sultan demanded six
doti of Merikani, and a fundo of bubu, from the Musungu; and from
the Arabs and other caravans, twelve doti more. For the third time
the slaves departed for the Sultan’s tembe, carrying with them six
doti Merikani and a fundo of bubu from myself, and ten doti from
the Arabs. Again they returned to us with the Sultan’s words,
“That, as the doti of the Musungu were short measure, and the cloths
of the Arabs of miserable quality, the Musungu must send three doti
full measure, and the Arabs five doti of Kaniki.” My three doti
were at once measured out with the longest fore-arm—according
to Kigogo measure—and sent off by Bombay; but the Arabs, almost
in despair, declared they would be ruined if they gave way to such
demands, and out of the five doti demanded sent only two, with a
pleading to the Sultan that he would consider what was paid as
just and fair Muhongo, and not ask any more. But the Sultan of
Mvumi was by no means disposed to consider any such proposition,
but declared he must have three doti, and these to be two of Ulyah
cloth, and one Kitambi Barsati, which, as he was determined to
obtain, were sent to him heavy with the deep maledictions of
Sheikh Hamed and the despairing sighs of sheikh Thani.
Altogether the sultanship of a district in Ugogo must be very
remunerative, besides being a delightful sinecure, so long as the
Sultan has to deal with timid Arab merchants who fear to exhibit
anything approaching to independence and self-reliance, lest they
might be mulcted in cloth. In one day from one camp the sultan
received forty-seven doti, consisting of Merikani, Kaniki, Barsati,
and Dabwani, equal to $35.25, besides seven doti of superior
cloths, consisting of Rehani, Sohari, and Daobwani Ulyah, and one
fundo of Bubu, equal to $14.00, making a total of $49.25—a most
handsome revenue for a Mgogo chief.
On the 27th May we gladly shook the dust of Mvumi from our feet,
and continued on our route—ever westward. Five of my donkeys had
died the night before, from the effects of the water of Marenga
Mkali. Before leaving the camp of Mvumi, I went to look at their
carcases; but found them to have been clean picked by the
hyaenas, and the bones taken possession of by an army of
white-necked crows.
As we passed the numerous villages, and perceived the entire face
of the land to be one vast field of grain, and counted the people
halted by scores on the roadside to feast their eyes with a greedy
stare on the Musungu, I no longer wondered at the extortionate
demands of the Wagogo. For it was manifest that they had but to
stretch out their hands to possess whatever the wealth of a caravan
consisted of; and I began to think better of the people who,
knowing well their strength, did not use it—of people who were
intellectual enough to comprehend that their interest lay in
permitting the caravans to pass on without attempting any outrage.
Between Mvumi and the nest Sultan’s district, that of Matamburu,
I counted no less than twenty-five villages, scattered over the
clayey, coloured plain. Despite the inhospitable nature of
the plain, it was better cultivated than any part of any other
country we had seen since leaving Bagamoyo.
When we had at last arrived at our boma of Matamburu, the same
groups of curious people, the same eager looks, the same
exclamations of surprise, the same, peals of laughter, at something
they deemed ludicrous in the Musungu’s dress or manner, awaited
us, as at Mvumi. The Arabs being “Wakonongo” travellers, whom
they saw every day, enjoyed a complete immunity from the
vexations which we had to endure.
The Sultan of Matamburu, a man of herculean form, and massive
head well set on shoulders that might vie with those of Milo,
proved to be a very reasonable person. Not quite so powerful as
the Sultan of Mvumi, he yet owned a fair share of Ugogo and about
forty villages, and could, if he chose, have oppressed the
mercantile souls of my Arab companions, in the same way as he of
Mvumi. Four doti of cloth were taken to him as a preliminary
offering to his greatness, which he said he would accept, if the
Arabs and Musungu would send him four more. As his demands were so
reasonable, this little affair was soon terminated to everybody’s
satisfaction; and soon after, the kirangozi of Sheikh Hamed
sounded the signal for the morrow’s march.
At the orders of the same Sheikh, the kirangozi stood up to speak
before the assembled caravans. “Words, words, from the Bana,” he
shouted. “Give ear, kirangozis! Listen, children of Unyamwezi!
The journey is for tomorrow! The road is crooked and bad, bad!
The jungle is there, and many Wagogo lie hidden within it!
Wagogo spear the pagazis, and cut the throats of those who carry
mutumba (bales) and ushanga (beads)! The Wagogo have been to our
camp, they have seen your bales; to-night they seek the jungle:
tomorrow watch well, O Wanyamwezi! Keep close together, lag not
behind! Kirangozis walk slow, that the weak, the sick, and the
young may keep up with the strong! Take two rests on the journey!
These are the words of the Bana (master). Do you hear them,
Wanyamwezi? (A loud shout in the affirmative from all.) Do you
understand them well? (another chorus); then Bas;” having said
which, the eloquent kirangozi retired into the dark night, and
his straw hut.
The march to Bihawana, our next camp, was rugged and long, through
a continuous jungle of gums and thorns, up steep hills and finally
over a fervid plain, while the sun waxed hotter and hotter as it
drew near the meridian, until it seemed to scorch all vitality
from inanimate nature, while the view was one white blaze,
unbearable to the pained sight, which sought relief from the glare
in vain. Several sandy watercourses, on which were impressed many
a trail of elephants, were also passed on this march. The slope of
these stream-beds trended south-east and south.
In the middle of this scorching plain stood the villages of
Bihawana, almost undistinguishable, from the extreme lowness of
the huts, which did not reach the height of the tall bleached grass
which stood smoking in the untempered heat.
Our camp was in a large boma, about a quarter of a mile from the
Sultan’s tembe. Soon after arriving at the camp, I was visited by
three Wagogo, who asked me if I had seen a Mgogo on the road with a
woman and child. I was about to answer, very innocently, “Yes,”
when Mabruki—cautious and watchful always for the interests of the
master—requested me not to answer, as the Wagogo, as customary,
would charge me with having done away with them, and would require
their price from me. Indignant at the imposition they were about
to practise upon me, I was about to raise my whip to flog them out
of the camp, when again Mabruki, with a roaring voice, bade me
beware, for every blow would cost me three or
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