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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As He
Was Unable To Give A Clear Account Of How They Came In His Box,
They Were At Once Confiscated, And Distributed Among The Most
Deserving Of The Doctor's People.
Some of the watchmen also
accused him of having entered into my store-room, and of having
abstracted two
Or three gorah of domestics from my bales,
and of having, some days afterwards, snatched the keys from the
hands of one of my men, and broken them, lest other people might
enter, and find evidences of his guilt. As Asmani was proved to
be another of the "moral idiots," Livingstone discharged him on
the spot. Had we not arrived so soon at Unyanyembe, it is probable
that the entire stock sent from Zanzibar had in time disappeared.
Unyanyembe being rich in fruits, grain, and cattle, we determined
to have our Christmas dinner over again in style, and, being
fortunately in pretty good health, I was enabled to superintend
its preparation. Never was such prodigality seen in a tembe of
Unyamwezi as was seen in ours, nor were ever such delicacies
provided.
There were but few Arabs in Unyanyembe when we arrived, as they
were investing the stronghold of Mirambo. About a week after our
return, "the little mannikin," Sheikh Sayd bin Salim - El Wali - who
was the commander-in-chief of their forces, came to Kwihara from
the front. But the little Sheikh was in no great hurry to greet
the man he had wronged so much. As soon as we heard of his arrival
we took the opportunity to send men immediately after the goods
which were forwarded to the Wali's care soon after Livingstone's
departure for Mikindany Bay. The first time we sent men for them
the governor declared himself too sick to attend to such matters,
but the second day they were surrendered, with a request that the
Doctor would not be very angry at their condition, as the white
ants had destroyed everything.
The stores this man had detained at Unyanyembe were in a most sorry
state. The expenses were prepaid for their carriage to Ujiji, but
the goods had been purposely detained at this place by Sayd bin
Salim since 1867 that he might satisfy his appetite for liquor,
and probably fall heir to two valuable guns that were known to be
with them. The white ants had not only eaten up bodily the box
in which the guns were packed, but they had also eaten the gunstocks.
The barrels were corroded, and the locks were quite destroyed.
The brandy bottles, most singular to relate, had also fallen a prey
to the voracious and irresistible destroyers the white ants - and,
by some unaccountable means, they had imbibed the potent Hennessy,
and replaced the corks with corn-cobs. The medicines had also
vanished, and the zinc pots in which they had been snugly packed
up were destroyed by corrosion. Two bottles of brandy and one small
zinc case of medicines only were saved out of the otherwise utter
wreck.
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