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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On The 11th Of December, After Seven Hours' Pulling, We Arrived At
Picturesque Zassi Again; On The 12th, At The Pretty Cove Of Niasanga;
And At 11 A.M. We Had Rounded Past Bangwe, And Ujiji Was Before Us.
We entered the port very quietly, without the usual firing of
guns, as we were short of powder and ball.
As we landed, our
soldiers and the Arab magnates came to the water's edge to greet
us.
Mabruki had a rich budget to relate to us, of what had occurred
during our absence. This faithful man, left behind in charge of
Livingstone's house, had done most excellently. Kalulu had scalded
himself, and had a frightful raw sore on his chest in consequence.
Mabruki had locked up Marora in chains for wounding one of the
asses. Bilali, the stuttering coward, a bully of women, had
caused a tumult in the market-place, and had been sharply
belaboured with the stick by Mabruki. And, above all most
welcome, was a letter I received from the American Consul at
Zanzibar, dated June 11th, containing telegrams from Paris as late
as April 22nd of the same year! Poor Livingstone exclaimed, "And
I have none. What a pleasant thing it is to have a real and good
friend!"
Our voyage on the Tanganika had lasted twenty-eight days, during
which time we had traversed over 300 miles of water.
CHAPTER XIV. OUR JOURNEY FROM UJIJI TO UNYANYEMBE.
We felt quite at home when we sat down on our black bear-skin, gay
Persian carpet and clean new mats, to rest with our backs to the
wall, sipping our tea with the air of comfortable men, and chat
over the incidents of the "picnic," as Livingstone persisted in
calling our journey to the Rusizi. It seemed as if old times,
which we loved to recall, had come back again, though our house
was humble enough in its aspect, and our servants were only naked
barbarians; but it was near this house that I had met him -
Livingstone - after that eventful march from Unyanyembe; it was on
this same veranda that I listened to that wonderful story of his
about those far, enchanting regions west of the Lake Tanganika;
it was in this same spot that I first became acquainted with him;
and ever since my admiration has been growing for him, and I feel
elated when he informs me that he must go to Unyanyembe under my
escort, and at my expense. The old mud walls and the bare rafters,
and the ancient thatched roof, and this queer-looking old veranda,
will have an historical interest for me while I live, and so, while
I can, I have taken pains and immortalized the humble old building
by a sketch.
I have just said that my admiration for Livingstone has been
growing. This is true. The man that I was about to interview
so calmly and complacently, as I would interview any prominent
man with the view of specially delineating his nature, or detailing
his opinions, has conquered me.
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