After digging to a depth of six feet their labours were
rewarded with the sight of a few drops of muddy liquid percolating
through the sides, which were eagerly swallowed to relieve their
raging thirst. Some voluntarily started with buckets, gourds,
and canteens south to a deserted clearing called the "Tongoni"
in Ukamba, and in about three hours returned with a plentiful
supply for immediate use, of good and clear water.
In 1 h. 30 m. we arrived at this Tongoni, or deserted clearing of
the Wakamba. Here were three or four villages burnt, and an
extensive clearing desolate, the work of the Wa-Ruga-Raga of Mirambo.
Those of the inhabitants who were left, after the spoliation and
complete destruction of the flourishing settlement, emigrated
westerly to Ugara. A large herd of buffalo now slake their thirst
at the pool which supplied the villages of Ukamba with water.
Great masses of iron haematite cropped up above the surfaces in
these forests. Wild fruit began to be abundant; the wood-apple
and tamarind and a small plum-like fruit, furnished us with many
an agreeable repast.
The honey-bird is very frequent in these forests of Ukonongo.
Its cry is a loud, quick chirrup. The Wakonongo understand how
to avail themselves of its guidance to the sweet treasure of honey
which the wild bees have stored in the cleft of some great tree.
Daily, the Wakonongo who had joined our caravan brought me immense
cakes of honey-comb, containing delicious white and red honey.
The red honey-comb generally contains large numbers of dead bees,
but our exceedingly gluttonous people thought little of these.
They not only ate the honey-bees, but they also ate a good deal of
the wax.
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. Selim was never able to endure thirst. It mattered not
how much of the precious liquid he carried, he generally drank it
all before reaching camp, and he consequently suffered during the
night. Besides this, he endangered his life by quaffing from every
muddy pool; and on this day he began to complain that he discharged
blood, which I took to be an incipient stage of dysentery.
During these marches, ever since quitting Ugunda, a favourite topic
at the camp-fires were the Wa-Ruga-Ruga, and their atrocities, and
a possible encounter that we might have with these bold rovers of
the forest. I verily believe that a sudden onset of half a dozen
of Mirambo's people would have set the whole caravan arunning.
We reached Marefu the next day, after a short three hours' march.
We there found an embassy sent by the Arabs of Unyanyembe, to the
Southern Watuta, bearing presents of several bales, in charge of
Hassan the Mseguhha. This valiant leader and diplomatist had halted
here some ten days because of wars and rumours of wars in his front.
It was said that Mbogo, Sultan of Mboga in Ukonongo, was at war
with the brother of Manwa Sera, and as Mbogo was a large district
of Ukonongo only two days' march from Marefu; fear of being involved
in it was deterring old Hassan from proceeding. He advised me also
not to proceed, as it was impossible to be able to do so without
being embroiled in the conflict. I informed him that I intended
to proceed on my way, and take my chances, and graciously offered
him my escort as far as the frontier of Ufipa, from which he could
easily and safely continue on his way to the Watuta, but he
declined it.
We had now been travelling fourteen days in a south-westerly
direction, having made a little more than one degree of latitude.
I had intended to have gone a little further south, because it was
such a good road, also since by going further south we should have
labored under no fear of meeting Mirambo; but the report of this
war in our front, only two days off, compelled me, in the interest
of the Expedition, to strike across towards the Tanganika, an a
west-by-north course through the forest, travelling, when it was
advantageous, along elephant tracks and local paths.
