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 Soon As The Honey-Bird Descries The Traveller, He Immediately
Utters A Series Of Wild, Excited Cries, Hops About From Twig To
Twig, And From Branch To Branch, Then Hops To Another Tree,
Incessantly Repeating His Chirruping Call.
The native, understanding
the nature of the little bird, unhesitatingly follows him; but
perhaps his steps are too slow
For the impatient caller, upon which
he flies back, urging him louder, more impatient cries, to hasten,
and then darts swiftly forward, as if he would show how quickly he
could go to the honey-store, until at last the treasure is reached,
the native has applied fire to the bees' nest, and secured the honey,
while the little bird preens himself, and chirrups in triumphant
notes, as if he were informing the biped that without his aid he
never could have found the honey.
Buffalo gnats and tsetse were very troublesome on this march,
owing to the numerous herds of game in the vicinity.
On the 9th of October we made a long march in a southerly direction,
and formed our camp in the centre of a splendid grove of trees.
The water was very scarce on the road. The Wamrima and Wanyamwezi
are not long able to withstand thirst. When water is plentiful
they slake their thirst at every stream and pool; when it is scarce,
as it is here and in the deserts of Marenga and Magunda Mkali,
long afternoon-marches are made; the men previously, however, filling
their gourds, so as to enable them to reach the water early next
morning.
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