28 March, 1873Tired of the innumerable delays we decided to start from Kikoka on the 28th of March with whatever men we have in camp, leaving such loads as we were unable to get carried in charge of the Balooch guard, to be afterwards sent for by Murphy.
I turned the hands up at 5.30 A.M., and found that seven more pagazi had deserted during the night; this raised the total number of absentees to twenty-five, and so many more were skulking about the village and in the grass and jungle that it was ten o'clock before we made a move.
It was altogether impossible to make the askari load the donkeys properly; in fact, to tell the truth, we were obliged to do the work ourselves whilst our men looked on in idleness. If left to themselves they tried to tie the crupper round the donkey's neck and placed the pad so that it afforded no protection whatever to the animal's back.
For two hours and a half we marched across a lovely country of rolling grass-land interspersed with belts of timber, and every here and there small knolls crowned with clumps of trees and shrubs. Away on our right lay the chain of small hills where Rosako and its neighbouring robber villages were situated, along the route which Stanley followed on his journey for the relief of Dr. Livingstone.
We camped on top of a small knoll, the huts of the men being arranged as to form a fence, while in the centre the tents were pitched and a large hut erected for stores and guard-room. Before sunset the donkeys were picketed inside the boma, and the entrance closed as a defence both against wild beasts and robbers.
The men divided themselves into small kambis or messes, numbering from three to seven each, for the purposes of cooking and building their huts.
Each kambi selects one man for duty as cook whilst the remainder busy themselves in building, and by this subdivision of labour a camp is formed in a wonderfully short space of time wherever grass and suitable wood are plentiful.
One man cuts the ridge pole and undertakes the general superintendence, whilst others prepare forked uprights and small sticks for rafters, provide bark to bind the structure together, and grass for thatch and bedding.
Every bit of grass is carefully rooted out from the inside to prevent the stubs injuring the mats. A thick layer of cut grass is also spread on the ground to form a sort of mattress, and on this the mats are laid.
Some of the more luxurious build small kitandas, or bed-places, to raise them above the damp ground.
Within a couple of hours after arrival all is completed, and as soon as the men have been fed they dispose themselves to sleep until the time for their sunset meal; after which they smoke and yarn till eight or nine o'clock, when most of them turn in for the night.
Occasionally, however, the silence is broken by some fellow who, thinking he has something important to tell a chum at the other side of the camp, makes no scruple of howling out at the top of his voice and continuing to shout until he obtains an answer. Probably he will then have forgotten what he wished to say, and thus have disturbed the whole camp for nothing.
After two more days of marching through similar country the guides advised a halt to procure supplies, and I accordingly set out in the afternoon with Bombay and a party of men for a village said to be near, leaving Dillon to look after the camp.
I had taken off my travelling kit, and in order to appear in due form before the eyes of the natives had dressed in white shirt and trousers and put a green veil round my topee, Dillon remarking that I looked like a stage peasant got up as a bridegroom. Certainly I was not suitably equipped for a rainy afternoon, and so I found one hour later when it rained in such torrents that in a few moments I was thoroughly drenched. The footpaths were ankle-deep in water, and a nullah which was perfectly dry when we passed it during our morning's march had now become a considerable stream.
As the village was reported to be nearer than the camp I held on my way, and after a seven miles' walk arrived at a small group of round huts which formed the residence of the chief of the district. He happened to be away, and his son, apparently a great dandy in his own estimation, would not sell anything during his father's absence.
After much bargaining and bothering I managed to obtain a goat and a few eggs from another source, but no food for the askari and pagazi was forthcoming.
We therefore went foraging about, and crossing an affluent of the Kingani which was up to our armpits discovered a few miserable huts, but from the inhabitants my men could get nothing more than a root or two of cassava.
It was now getting late and we turned our footsteps campwards, allowing Bombay to lead as he declared there was a short cut. So away we went ploughing our way through long wet grass, and as the darkness closed around without a single star to guide us we lost our road completely.
I was confident that Bombay was wrong, but he and all the men persisted that he was right. I trusted them, not then having practical experience of the inability of an Afrcan to strike out a new road, although they will remember every turn and step of those they have once travelled over.
About nine o'clock we found ourselves in a swampy wood, and hearing no answer to the guns I had ordered to be fired to apprise the people in camp of our whereabouts I thought it best to select some dry spot where we could kindle a fire, cook the goat, and make ourselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
I squatted down close to the fire with my back against a tree and tried to eat some of the goat, but was completely done up to get even a morsel down my throat. The men, however, made a short work of it.
As soon as the first gleams of light heralded the approach of the day I arose from my "wretched lair" and set off to look for the camp, and shortly met with some people who had been despatched by Dillon to come in search of us. In another hour I reached my tent, though barely able to crawl into it, the night's exposure having brought on a violent attack of fever. I was only fit to turn into bed and get Dillon to doctor me.
To add to my annoyance I found that had we taken the direction I wished the evening before, we should have got into camp all right.
I was a very different-looking object on my arrival from what I had been on my departure on this luckless cruise. Shirt and trousers wet, torn, and mudstained; the colour of the veil washed out, and hat, face, and shoulders all rejoicing in a pea-green tint.
April, 1873Three more days were we delayed at this camp, and then the men sent to the south of the Kingani returned with only a sufficient quantity of cassava for immediate use.
During our stay Moffat came out on foot with letters from Dr. Kirk and other friends at Zanzibar together with the mail that had arrived since we left Kikoka. He also brought the news that Murphy had almost recovered, and had broken up the camp at Shamba Gonèra and made his headquartes in Bagamoyo.
Moffat being rather knocked up by this walk, we gave him a donkey for the return journey to Bagamoyo, and started off again ourselves, marching for three days without interruption.
The country consisted principally of prairies with clumps of trees and occasional small ponds or water-holes in which beautiful large blue and white waterlilies grew, and here and there magnificent white lilies showed amongst the grass.
On this march I was suffering very much from fever; and was delirious when in camp. Yet I managed to pull myself together whilst on the road and was able to ride my donkey, though the moment the excitement of the march had passed I was hardly able to stand.
Upon Dillon during this time devolved the work of driving the caravan along, and owing to his unremitting attention all went smoothly.
On the third day we heard that a village was close in front and sent messengers to acquaint the chief of our approach. Astounding rumours were brought back to the effect that the chief would not allow us to pass; but as every man who made any report differed from his fellows we decided that all were false.
We remained camped however for one day to await a definite answer, as there had lately been great difficulties between the chief and filibustering parties from Whindé, a village on the coast which owes a divided allegiance to H.H. Syud Burghash.
The hoped-for answer not havng been received on the 7th of April, we started early in the morning and at noon arrived at the outskirts of the district of Msuwah. There was much cultivation around us - pumpkins, Indian corn, sweet potatoes, &c. - but the only signs of any habitations were tiny spirals of blue smoke curling up from the midst of clumps of the densest jungle.
Our people were driven nearly wild with fright on this march, owing to a few who were rather in advance of the main body rushing back with fear depicted on every feature, declaring they had seen some armed men (as though every one in Africa did not go armed), and that we had better return to Bagamoyo at once, as it would be madness to proceed any further. After a time we somewhat allayed their agitation, and persuaded one or two of the bravest - or rather least cowardly - to talk to these much-dreaded armed men, one of whom, with spear, bow, arrows and all, returned with them and agreed to guide us to the chief's village.
We camped early that afternoon, and I was still so ill from fever and fatigue that I turned in at once.
The following day the chief paid us a visit and gave permission to move close to his village, but informed us that owing to a treaty he had concluded with the people of Whindé we should be expected to pay mhongo before leaving.
Under this treaty entered into between the chief of Msuwah and the people of Whindé, the former was to pay the latter a certain number of slaves, and in compensation he was allowed to tax all caravans passing through his district provided that they started from any point on the coast except Whindé.
This agreement was arrived at after war had been carried on between both parties for some years without either side being able to gain a decided advantage, and we were doomed to be the first sufferers.
This incident shows how little real influence the Sultan of Zanzibar has over his subjects on the mainland, and how little he can do personally, even with the best intentions, to put down the slave-trade in his continental dominions.
Dillon returned the visit of the chief, who was very civil and arranged our mhongo at thirty doti.
The village of Msuwah consisted of six or eight large well-built huts, kept clean and in good order; but another in the middle of a dense patch of jungle we were not allowed to see.
These villages are built in the midst of jungle for the purpoe of providing protection against attack, being only approachable by very narrow tortuous paths, capable of being completely blocked and rendered perfectly impregnable against native warfare. Owing to these strong positions the people are able to harry their neighbours with a certainty of safety from reprisals, and make slaves, for whom they are always sure of finding a ready market in the towns of the seaboard.
Here we heard that the country to the front was "hungry," and we should therefore be obliged to buy food for the road before starting. And our civil and smiling friend the chief assuring us that it would be dangerous for our men to go in search of food, offered to send his own people to procure it - provided we paid in advance.
When he had received the cloth he made numerous excuses for not fulfilling his promises, and after five days' halt we had to start with only two days' supplies.
Some neighbouring chiefs hearing of our proximity took advantage of this delay to personally demand mhongo. To one, named Mtonga, I was foolish enough to pay thirty doti of merikani and kaniki and seven coloured cloths upon Bombay persuading me that his village lay on our road and there would be trouble if we did not satisfy these claims. But I afterwards found that the scoundrel had been cheating us, as his village was situated to the northward of us and if anything to our rear. Another, called Kasuwa, demanded two whole bales, but as I happily discovered that we had already passed him he got nothing.
On the fourth day of our halt we were visited by the leaders of a large Arab caravan which had left the coast some time before us but had been detained by troubles along Stanley's route. They mustered over seven hundred men, of whom about a half were armed with muskets.
The halt was not altogether wasted, as it enabled to improve our donkeys' saddles and gave me a chance of shaking off the fever; but during our stay we had the misfortune to lose one of our pagazi who died suddenly without any previous illness, and some half-a-dozen others deserted.
On the 14th of April we made another move after a great deal of trouble with the men, who if allowed to halt a day or two always made more fuss about starting than if they had been kept on the road altogether.
We passed through the Arab camp, in which there were seven tents belonging to the proprietors of different divisions, each being enclosed in a compound made of cloth screens or grass fences which served to keep the profane eyes of outsiders from penetrating the mysteries of the harem. They were in great tribulation, owing to many of their hired pagazi having bolted; and I found I had reason to congratulate myself on only having lost half-a-dozen whilst at Msuwah, as it is a favourite place for coast people to desert, and the jungle and villages afford so many lurking and hiding places that it is almost impossible to find them again.
The Arabs professed to be very anxious to join us, and I should not have objected but for rumours of scarcity of food and anticipations of difficulty in rationing so large a party.
I determined to press forward as quickly as possible towards the Makata swamp, every day's delay now increasing the chances of its being in bad condition for crossing. And we covered a good ten miles, halting only for half an hour - passing over a level tableland about four hundred or five hundred feet higher than Msuwah - and descried right before us a glorious cloud-capped range of montainous hills.
The country through which we had come was well cultivated and dotted with numerous hamlets peeping out of woods and bosquets. Where the ground was not cultivated or covered with jungle the grass was excellent.
I was much astonished at the total absence of cattle, aw we noticed no tsetsé, and the country seemed admirably adapted for grazing, being well-watered and provided with trees to afford shade during the heat of the day.
Every plot under cultivation had in it a miniature hut, under which offerings were placed to propitiate the evil spirits lest they should injure the growing crops.
Several graves of chiefs bestrewn with broken earthenware were pointed out to me. They also had huts erected over them with a small tree, usually of the cactus species, serving the purpose of a centre post.
Onthis march we first met with baobab-trees, which may be termed the elephants or hippopotami of the vegetable kingdom, their smallest twigs being two or three inches in circumference and their forms of the most grotesque ugliness. This is, however toned down by their beautiful white flowers and the tender green of their foliage.
At Kisémo the chief brought a goat to our camp and asked for fifty doti as mhongo; but as he was a "small thief" this request was not complied with. We gave him four doti as the price of the goat and four more as a present, and he professed himself perfectly satisfied although it was so great a reduction from his attempt at exortion.
Our road at starting led up to a steep ascent and across a tableland gradually sloping towards the west with occasional slight ondulations, until we came to the steep and almost cliff-like descent into the valley of the Lugerengeri. Frequent outcrops of sandstone and quartz were noticeable and crystalline pebbles were plentiful, and the soil, which was in some places of a reddish hue, was at other points a pure silver sand, both being covered with a considerable layer of vegetable mould.
Many beautiful flowers gladdened our eyes on the march, amongst which were tiger-lilies, convolvuli, primulas of a rich deep yellow, and another having somewhat the appearance of a foxglove opened black. In the valley of the Lugerengeri I saw some thorn-bushes of osier-like growth bearing large purple bell-shaped flowers. From the coast, thus far, we had frequently met with white primulas, a large yellow daisy, and small red and blue flowers very similar to forget-me-nots.
The Lugerengeri here lies at the bottom of a valley with a broad and very nearly level sole which it floods when swollen by exceptional storms, carrying destruction far and wide.
The year before we passed, one of these inundations - caused by the rains accompanying the hurricane which did so much damage at Zanzibar - swept away about twenty villages with great loss of life, though no reliable account of the numbers who perished could be obtained. The inhabitants, like veritable fatalists, had reoccupied many of the old sites, only a few being sufficiently wise to guard against the recurrence of a similar disaster by building on small eminences.
We camped near a village built by some of the wiser ones and were well received by the chief, who placed a couple of neighbouring huts at our disposal for our stores.
Before us, on the opposite side of the Lugerengeri, were the hills we had sighted two days previously.
Bombay on arrival said, "Master, Lugerengeri live close by, jump him to-morrow;" but when to-morrow came there arose the same old cry of "Master, country very hungry in front," and we were compelled to spend a day looking for provisions, being rewarded by obtaining sufficient for three or four days.
About noon a division of the Arab caravan passed us and camped on the opposite bank of the Lugerengeri, the remainder of the Arabs being bound for the country of the Warori and Wabena.
By five o'clock the next day we were on the move, and Hamees ibn Salim, the owner of the Arab caravan, hearing us astir, sent his drummer to play us past his camp. Crossing by the ford just as the day was beginning to dawn we found the Arabs not yet packed up, but Hamees turned out to salute us as we passed. When we forded the Lugerengeri it was only thirty yards wide and knee-deep, but it must be impassable whenever a freshet comes down. The channel exceeds two hundred and fifty yards in width, with banks on each side twenty-five feet high; and many old plantations in the vicinity were covered with sand brought down in the floods of 1872. The bed consisted of white sand with quartz and granite pebbles, and large boulders of granite much water-worn were strewn about in considerable numbers.
After traversing seven miles of thickly wooded country without any inhabitants, Hamees' caravan overtook us. I had been walking in front and was obliged to sit down and rest, being still weak from fever, on seeing which Hamees kindly offered me his donkey, and upon my refusing sat down to keep me company until my own arrived.
After this we had some rough marching over very steep hills, through patches of tiger-grass, and across ravines forty and fifty feet deep with almost precipitous sides, at each of which we were obliged to unload the donkeys and carry the baggage up and down by the help of the drivers.
Notwithstanding the extra work of superintending this, besides dragging one's weary legs along, the scenery was so delightful that we scarcely thought of fatigue.
All the hills were exceedingly rocky - being composed mostly of granite but in some instances of nearly pure quartz - but they were thickly clothed with trees wherever the inequalities of the surface allowed sufficient soil to accumulate. The greater number of the trees being acacias in full bloom, their red, white, and yellow blossoms, and those of other flowering trees, stood out in masses of gorgeous colour.
Late in the afternoon we arrived at the camping-place, a rocky pass having at the bottom pools of water in granite basins. Out of these two streams issued, one running west and the other east, but both ultimately falling into the Kingani.
This was the direct route through the range of hills that had been in sight since leaving Kisémo, and I now ascertained they were named Kungwa, though by Burton and Speke they are grouped with others as the Duthumi hills.
The tail of the caravan, owing to the long and tiring march, was all over the country and many of the stragglers were not up till after sunset.
Next morning saw us off bedtimes, our path, with a watercourse beside it, leading us through a regular pass. Along this route we had trouble in forcing our way through sword-grass and bamboo - the first we had seen - which was covered with a creeper very like the English sweet-pea, bearing many twin and a few double flowers.
Five miles of this work brought us into a valley enclosed by the Kungwa hills and full of conical knolls, many of which were crowned by villages. The Arabs camped in one called Kongassa, while we halted at another named Kungwa from the mountains, the highest peak of which overhung us.
The sides of the knolls were planted with Indian and Kaffir corn and sweet potatoes, whilst the damp bottoms served to produce rice, and in the village ebony or blackwood trees were growing.
A large unfinished house - the building of which had been commenced by an Arab with a view of settling here, but now falling into decay - afforded good shelter for our stores and many of our men. Those who were unable to get quarters in it shared the huts of the natives, in order to escape the rain, which fell almost continuously and prevented us from starting till late the following day.
Our next resting-place was a deserted village five miles distant. Here we had to remain a day to obtain supplies; for, as usual, the men were lazy and wanted an excuse for delay, and this place, which had been the "hungry country" three days before, was now represented as a land of Goshen, whilst all in front was said to be a barren waste.
Dillon and I enlisted the services of two of the aborigines as guides whilst we went out shooting. Although we saw tracks of pig and antelope the beasts themselves kept out of sight, and after having been out an hour our worthy guides started off in pursuit of a honey-bird which they heard calling, and in their excitement created such a row as to entirely upset any chances of sport.
The soil in the bottoms was black and heavy, and had become converted by the rains into sticky and slippery mud; but the knolls, being sand, remained comparatively dry during the heaviest rain.
The Arabs who halted at Kongassa again appeared and camped close to us, and we went up the valley in company.
The hills closed in on either side, and he path was so blocked with bamboo cane-grass as to render it a matter of great difficulty to fight one's way along. The thick growth also shut out the view of the hills, which, when we were privileged with an occasional peep, was delightful; so to the physical labour of driving our way through the tough grass was added the tantalisation of knowing that we were surrounded by charming scenery without being able to enjoy it.
Our camp on this day (April 20th) was by the small village of Kiroka, which the Arabs, having the start of us, had appropriated, and we were obliged to form our boma outside. Hamees' tent was already pitched when I arrived, and pitying my hot and thirsty condition he kindly took me inside to have a glass of sherbet. Owing to its sweetness this unfortunately only increased my thirst; still I fully appreciated the good intention.
From Kiroka the valley continued to close in, and at the western end we left by a pass situated at some height.
By the side of our path was a torrent bed more than twenty feet deep with nearly perpendicular sides, and into this fell a baggage donkey carrying about 140 lbs. of ammunition - a quantity of which consisted of percussion shell - but luckily without causing injury either to himself or his load, although he pitched straight on his head. A little hair rubbed his forehead was the only visible result of his tumble.
The latter part of the pass was very slippery sandstone and quartz, and at its highest point the hills clothed to their summits with trees rose some three hundred feet above us. A steep descent of greasy red clay brought us into the broad valley of the Lugerengeri bounded on the south by the Kigambwé mountains, from which many torrents come down to the river, and on the north by a range of detached conical hills.
The valley of the Lugerengeri is very fertile with pleasing alternations of open wood, jungle, grass and cultivation; but the torrents from the Kigambwé hills are very serious drawbacks to the safety of the inhabitants. The Mohalé must be over a mile wide in spates, and even when we crossed several streams knee-deep were flowing between thickets of bamboo which seamed the bed. We rested for the night in the village of Mohalé, and in the morning passed the famous town of Simbawéni "the stronghold of the lion," once the habitation of Kisabengo, a notorious freebooter and the terror of all surrounding tribes.
But its glories have now faded, and we marched past with colours flying and altogether disregarding the demands of its present ruler. She is a daughter of Kisabengo and possesses the will but lacks the power of rendering herself as obnoxious as was her robber sire.
Crossing thr Mwéré torrent we proceeded to the Lugerengeri, over which we passed by a rough bridge composed of fallen trees, and camped by its banks. It occupied more than two hours getting loads and donkeys across, as the river was twenty yards wide and four to six feet deep with steep banks rising fourteen feet above the water.
Hamees unwisely pitched his camp by the side of the Mwéré, and in consequence had to pay seventeen doti mhongo to Simbawéni, a tax which we escaped. Our men were also anxious to remain on the Simbawéni side and did not work willingly. But we got across without accident, except to one pagazi who preferred trying to wade the river to trusting himself to the slippery bridge and was swept away by the current. He was rescued with no further damage than wetting his load, though such an escape was scarcely to be expected.
An Arab caravan for the coast passing us here we availed ourselves of the opportunity of despatching a mail to Zanzibar.
Buying provisions for crossing the Makata swamp occupied the next day. There was no trouble in obtaining the supplies we required, as the natives crowded into camp with beans, pumpkins, vegetable marrows, honey, eggs, and corn for sale. Concerning the difficulties of this passage there were rumours almost sufficient to deter the stoutest from attempting it if allowance had not been made for the tendency of the negro to exaggeration. Hamees came over to see us in the afternoon, which was miserably wet, and Dillon endeavoured to amuse and astonish him with some card tricks; but great was his surprise on finding that Hamees could outdo him.
A branch of tree falling upon my three-pole tent made a rent six feet long; and if I had not taken the precaution of having an inner lining fitted at Kikoka I should have been compelled to seek fresh quarters with Dillon in his Abyssinian tent.
A enormous amount of bother fell to our lot in the morning, for the men had gorged themselves to such an extent that they were very much disinclined to march and would fain have remained a few days more in this veritable land of plenty. We had to drive them out of camp one by one, and no sooner were our backs turned than they would dodge in again or hide with their loads amongst the bushes and long grass.
By dint of perseverance we at length got them away, and marching close under the end of the Kihondo mountain range - which rises sheer out of the plain to a height of seven or eight hundred feet - arrived at Simbo, the last camp before entering upon the toils and labours of the Makata swamp.
I may mention that Simbo is more a generic than a particular term and, unless a more definite name can be borrowed from some neighbouring village, it frequently applied to places where water is found in holes or by digging - that being the meaning of the word.
The range of Kihondo inosculates with Kigambwé, and in the angle formed by their junction are the sources of the Lugerengeri river.
On mustering in camp at Simbo we found one of the pagazi, Ulédi by name, had disappeared with his load. I instantly despatched five askari in search of him, and in the evening they returned in triumph, having recovered him at Simbawéni, where he had gone thinking to find a hearty welcome owing to our having refused to pay mhongo. The queen, Miss Kisabengo, however, handed him and his baggage over to the man in charge of the search party upon his paying seven doti as a fee.
I ordered him to be flogged as an example, and the men agreed that the punishment was well deserved, for on this part of the road, although it was not thought any disgrace to desert, yet it was considered a point of honour that a man should never run away with his load.
