In noisy chaffer and barter.
Bareheaded, and almost barebodied, the youths made love to the
dark-skinned and woolly-headed Phyllises, who knew not how to
blush at the ardent gaze of love, as their white sisters; old
matrons gossiped, as the old women do everywhere; the children
played, and laughed, and struggled, as children of our own lands;
and the old men, leaning on their spears or bows, were just as
garrulous in the Place de Ujiji as aged elders in other climes.
CHAPTER XIII. OUR CRUISE ON THE LAKE TANGANIKA -
EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-END OF THE LAKE -
THE RUSIZI IS DISCOVERED TO ENTER INTO THE LAKE -
RETURN TO UJIJI.
"I distinctly deny that `any misleading by my instructions
from the Royal Geographical Society as to the position of the
White Nile' made me unconscious of the vast importance of
ascertaining the direction of the Rusizi River. The fact is,
we did our best to reach it, and we failed." - Burton's Zanzibar.
"The universal testimony of the natives to the Rusizi River
being an influent is the most conclusive argument that it does
run out of the lake." - Speke.
"I therefore claim for Lake Tanganika the honour of being the
SOUTHERNMOST RESERVOIR OF THE NILE, until some more positive
evidence, by actual observation, shall otherwise determine it." -
Findlay, R.G.S.
Had Livingstone and myself, after making up our minds to visit
the northern head of the Lake Tanganika, been compelled by the
absurd demands or fears of a crew of Wajiji to return to
Unyanyembe without having resolved the problem of the Rusizi River,
we had surely deserved to be greeted by everybody at home with a
universal giggling and cackling. But Capt. Burton's failure to
settle it, by engaging Wajiji, and that ridiculous savage chief
Kannena, had warned us of the negative assistance we could expect
from such people for the solution of a geographical problem. We
had enough good sailors with us, who were entirely under our
commands. Could we but procure the loan of a canoe, we thought
all might be well.
Upon application to Sayd bin Majid, he at once generously
permitted us to use his canoe for any service for which we might
require it. After engaging two Wajiji guides at two doti each,
we prepared to sail from the port of Ujiji, in about a week or
so after my entrance into Ujiji.
I have already stated how it was that the Doctor and I undertook
the exploration of the northern half of the Tanganika and the River
Rusizi, about which so much had been said and written.
Before embarking on this enterprise, Dr. Livingstone had not
definitely made up his mind which course he should take, as his
position was truly deplorable.
