The Bearing Of The Manganja At This Time Was Very Independent; A
Striking Contrast To The Cringing Attitude They Afterwards
Assumed,
when the cruel scourge of slave-hunting passed over their country.
Signals were given from the different villages by
Means of drums, and
notes of defiance and intimidation were sounded in the travellers'
ears by day; and occasionally they were kept awake the whole night,
in expectation of an instant attack. Drs. Livingstone and Kirk were
desirous that nothing should occur to make the natives regard them as
enemies; Masakasa, on the other hand, was anxious to show what he
could do in the way of fighting them.
The perseverance of the party was finally crowned with success; for
on the 18th of April they discovered Lake Shirwa, a considerable body
of bitter water, containing leeches, fish, crocodiles, and
hippopotami. From having probably no outlet, the water is slightly
brackish, and it appears to be deep, with islands like hills rising
out of it. Their point of view was at the base of Mount Pirimiti or
Mopeu-peu, on its S.S.W. side. Thence the prospect northwards ended
in a sea horizon with two small islands in the distance - a larger
one, resembling a hill-top and covered with trees, rose more in the
foreground. Ranges of hills appeared on the east; and on the west
stood Mount Chikala, which seems to be connected with the great
mountain-mass called Zomba.
The shore, near which they spent two nights, was covered with reeds
and papyrus. Wishing to obtain the latitude by the natural horizon,
they waded into the water some distance towards what was reported to
be a sand-bank, but were so assaulted by leeches, they were fain to
retreat; and a woman told them that in enticing them into the water
the men only wanted to kill them. The information gathered was that
this lake was nothing in size compared to another in the north, from
which it is separated by only a tongue of land. The northern end of
Shirwa has not been seen, though it has been passed; the length of
the lake may probably be 60 or 80 miles, and about 20 broad. The
height above the sea is 1800 feet, and the taste of the water is like
a weak solution of Epsom salts. The country around is very
beautiful, and clothed with rich vegetation; and the waves, at the
time they were there breaking and foaming over a rock on the south-
eastern side, added to the beauty of the picture. Exceedingly lofty
mountains, perhaps 8000 feet above the sea-level, stand near the
eastern shore. When their lofty steep-sided summits appear, some
above, some below the clouds, the scene is grand. This range is
called Milanje; on the west stands Mount Zomba, 7000 feet in height,
and some twenty miles long.
Their object being rather to gain the confidence of the people by
degrees than to explore, they considered that they had advanced far
enough into the country for one trip; and believing that they could
secure their end by a repetition of their visit, as they had done on
the Shire, they decided to return to the vessel at Dakanamoio island;
but, instead of returning by the way they came, they passed down
southwards close by Mount Chiradzuru, among the relatives of Chibisa,
and thence by the pass Zedi, down to the Shire.
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