Fierce wordy
dispute; this time for five khete # for the man who guided us to
the ferry, a shukka of cloth for a babbler, who had attached
himself to the old-womanish Jumah, who did nothing but babble and
increase the clamor. These demands were also settled.
# Necklaces.
About sunset we endeavoured to cross the donkeys. "Simba," a fine
wild Kinyamwezi donkey, went in first, with a rope attached to his
neck. He had arrived at the middle of the stream when we saw
him begin to struggle - a crocodile had seized him by the throat.
The poor animal's struggles were terrific. Chowpereh was dragging
on the rope with all his might, but to no use, for the donkey sank,
and we saw no more of him. The depth of the river at this place was
about fifteen feet. We had seen the light-brown heads, the glittering
eyes, and the ridgy backs, hovering about the vicinity, but we had
never thought that the reptiles would advance so near such an exciting
scene as the vicinity of the ferry presented during the crossing.
Saddened a little by this loss, we resumed our work, and by 7 P.M.
we were all across, excepting Bombay and the only donkey now left,
which was to be brought across in the morning, when the crocodiles
should have deserted the river.
November 3rd. - What contention have we not been a witness to these
last three days! What anxiety have we not suffered ever since our
arrival in Uvinza! The Wavinza are worse than the Wagogo, and their
greed is more insatiable. We got the donkey across with the aid of
a mganga, or medicine man, who spat some chewed leaves of a tree
which grows close to the stream over him. He informed me he could
cross the river at any time, day or night, after rubbing his body
with these chewed leaves, which he believed to be a most potent medicine.
About 10 A.M. appeared from the direction of Ujiji a caravan of
eighty Waguhha, a tribe which occupies a tract of country on the
south-western side of the Lake Tanganika. We asked the news, and
were told a white man had just arrived at Ujiji from Manyuema.
This news startled us all.
"A white man?" we asked.
"Yes, a white man," they replied.
"How is he dressed?"
"Like the master," they answered, referring to me.
"Is he young, or old?"
"He is old. He has white hair on his face, and is sick."
"Where has he come from?"
"From a very far country away beyond Uguhha, called Manyuema."
"Indeed! and is he stopping at Ujiji now?"
"Yes, we saw him about eight days ago."
"Do you think he will stop there until we see him?"
"Sigue" (don't know).
"Was he ever at Ujiji before?"
"Yes, he went away a long time ago."
Hurrah! This is Livingstone! He must be Livingstone! He can be
no other; but still; - he may be some one else - some one from the
West Coast - or perhaps he is Baker! No; Baker has no white hair
on his face. But we must now march quick, lest he hears we are
coming, and runs away.
I addressed my men, and asked them if they were willing to march
to Ujiji without a single halt, and then promised them, if they
acceded to my wishes, two doti each man. All answered in the
affirmative, almost as much rejoiced as I was myself. But I was
madly rejoiced; intensely eager to resolve the burning question,
"Is it Dr. David Livingstone?" God grant me patience, but I do
wish there was a railroad, or, at least, horses in this country.
We set out at once from the banks of the Malagarazi, accompanied
by two guides furnished us by Usenge, the old man of the ferry,
who, now that we had crossed, showed himself more amiably disposed
to us. We arrived at the village of Isinga, Sultan Katalambula,
after a little over an hour's march across a saline plain, but
which as we advanced into the interior became fertile and productive.
November 4th. - Started early with great caution, maintaining deep
silence. The guides were sent forward, one two hundred yards ahead
of the other, that we might be warned in time. The first part of
the march was through a thin jungle of dwarf trees, which got thinner
and thinner until finally it vanished altogether, and we had
entered Uhha - a plain country. Villages were visible by the score
among the tall bleached stalks of dourra and maize. Sometimes three,
sometimes five, ten, or twenty beehive-shaped huts formed a village.
The Wahha were evidently living in perfect security, for not one
village amongst them all was surrounded with the customary
defence of an African village. A narrow dry ditch formed the only
boundary between Uhha and Uvinza. On entering Uhha, all danger
from Makumbi vanished.
We halted at Kawanga, the chief of which lost no time in making us
understand that he was the great Mutware of Kimenyi under the king,
and that he was the tribute gatherer for his Kiha majesty. He
declared that he was the only one in Kimenyi - an eastern division
of Uhha - who could demand tribute; and that it would be very
satisfactory to him, and a saving of trouble to ourselves, if we
settled his claim of twelve doti of good cloths at once. We did
not think it the best way of proceeding, knowing as we did the
character of the native African; so we at once proceeded to
diminish this demand; but, after six hours' hot argument, the
Mutware only reduced it by two. This claim was then settled,
upon the understanding that we should be allowed to travel through
Uhha as far as the Rusugi River without being further mulcted.
