How I Found Livingstone Travels, Adventures And Discoveries In Central Africa Including Four Months Residence With Dr. Livingstone By Sir Henry M. Stanley
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At Times He Was Helplessly Imbecile In His Movements,
Forgot Every Order The Moment It Was Given Him, Consistently
Broke Or Lost Some Valuable Article, Was Fond Of Argument, And
Addicted To Bluster.
He thinks Hajji Abdullah one of the wickedest
white men born, because he saw him pick up men's skulls and put
them in sacks, as if he was about to prepare a horrible medicine
with them.
He wanted to know whether his former master had written
down all he himself did, and when told that Burton had not said
anything, in his books upon the Lake Regions, upon collecting
skulls at Kilwa, thought I would be doing a good work if I
published this important fact.* Bombay intends to make a
pilgrimage to visit Speke's grave some day.
________________________
*I find upon returning to England, that Capt. Burton has informed
the world of this "wicked and abominable deed," in his book upon
Zanzibar, and that the interesting collection may be seen at the
Royal College of Surgeons, London.
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Mabruki, "Ras-bukra Mabruki," Bull-headed Mabruki, as Burton calls
him, is a sadly abused man in my opinion. Mabruki, though stupid,
is faithful. He is entirely out of his element as valet, he might
as well be clerk. As a watchman he is invaluable, as a second
captain or fundi, whose duty it is to bring up stragglers,
he is superexcellent. He is ugly and vain, but he is no coward.
Asmani the guide is a large fellow, standing over six feet, with
the neck and shoulders of a Hercules. Besides being guide, he is
a fundi, sometimes called Fundi Asmani, or hunter. A very
superstitious man, who takes great care of his gun, and talismanic
plaited cord, which he has dipped in the blood of all the animals
he has ever shot. He is afraid of lions, and will never venture
out where lions are known to be. All other animals he regards as
game, and is indefatigable in their pursuit. He is seldom seen
without an apologetic or a treacherous smile on his face. He could
draw a knife across a man's throat and still smile.
Chowpereh is a sturdy short man of thirty or thereabouts; very
good-natured, and humorous. When Chowpereh speaks in his dry Mark
Twain style, the whole camp laughs. I never quarrel with Chowpereh,
never did quarrel with him. A kind word given to Chowpereh is sure
to be reciprocated with a good deed. He is the strongest, the
healthiest, the amiablest, the faithfulest of all. He is the
embodiment of a good follower.
Khamisi is a neat, cleanly boy of twenty, or thereabouts, active,
loud-voiced, a boaster, and the cowardliest of the cowardly. He
will steal at every opportunity. He clings to his gun most
affectionately; is always excessively anxious if a screw gets
loose, or if a flint will not strike fire, yet I doubt that he
would be able to fire his gun at an enemy from excessive
trembling.
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