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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We Drew Our Canoe Ashore Here, And, On
A Limited Area Of Clean Sand, Ferajji, Our Rough-And-Ready Cook,
Lit His Fire, And Manufactured For Us A Supply Of Most Delicious
Mocha Coffee.
Despite the dangers which still beset us, we were
quite happy, and seasoned our meal with a little moral
Philosophy,
which lifted us unconsciously into infinitely superior beings to
the pagans by whom we were surrounded - upon whom we now looked down,
under the influence of Mocha coffee and moral philosophy, with
calm contempt, not unmixed with a certain amount of compassion.
The Doctor related some experiences he had had among people of
similar disposition, but did not fail to ascribe them, with the
wisdom of a man of ripe experiences, to the unwise conduct of
the Arabs and half-castes; in this opinion I unreservedly concur.
From Murembwe Point, having finished our coffee and ended our
discourse on ethics, we proceeded on our voyage, steering for Cape
Sentakeyi, which, though it was eight or ten miles away, we hoped
to make before dark. The Wangwana pulled with right good will, but
ten hours went by, and night was drawing near, and we were still
far from Sentakeyi. As it was a fine moonlight night, and we were
fully alive to the dangerous position in which we might find
ourselves, they consented to pull an hour or two more. About 1 P.M.,
we pulled in shore for a deserted spot - a clean shelf of sand,
about thirty feet long by ten deep, from which a clay bank rose
about ten or twelve feet above, while on each side there were
masses of disintegrated rock. Here we thought, that by preserving
some degree of silence, we might escape observation, and consequent
annoyance, for a few hours, when, being rested, we might continue
our journey. Our kettle was boiling for tea, and the men had built
a little fire for themselves, and had filled their black earthen pot
with water for porridge, when our look-outs perceived dark forms
creeping towards our bivouac. Being hailed, they at once came
forward, and saluted us with the native "Wake." Our guides
explained that we were Wangwana, and intended to camp until morning,
when, if they had anything to sell, we should be glad to trade with
them. They said they were rejoiced to hear this, and after they had
exchanged a few words more - during which time we observed that they
were taking mental notes of the camp - they went away. Upon leaving,
they promised to return in the morning with food, and make friends
with us. While drinking our tea, the look-outs warned us of the
approach of a second party, which went through the same process of
saluting and observing as the first had done. These also went away,
over-exuberant, as I thought, and were shortly succeeded by a
third party, who came and went as the others had. From all this we
inferred that the news was spreading rapidly through the villages
about, and we had noticed two canoes passing backwards and forwards
with rather more haste than we deemed usual or necessary.
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