June, 1873We had now fairly entered Ugogo, and having heard many wonderful stories of the extortions practised by the Wagogo, anticipated some difficulty in passing through their country.
They were reputed to be great thieves, and so overbearing that any insult they inflicted was to be borne without resistance. But should a Wagogo be struck or receive some imaginary injury a fine was exacted, and if not immediately paid, the Wagogo being a brave and warlike race would attack and plunder the caravan.
Such was the character we received of them, and though we found them disposed to be rude and extortionate, they were in truth the veriest cowards and poltroons it is possible to conceive. Arabs, Wayamwési and others with whom they are principally brought in contact, approach Ugogo in fear and trembling, apprehensive of being fleeced of half their stores in passing through; for they are completely dependent on the Wagogo for their supplies of food and water from day to day. And they, like true cowards, bully and oppress those who are at their mercy, knowing they can offer no resistance.
The tribute which is levied is not, however, altogether unjust, and would indeed be perfectly fair if conducted on any fixed principles; for if the Wagogo did not live in the country and keep the watering-places in repair, it would be impassable in the dry deason which is always preferred for travelling.
Some years ago an Arab, braver but not wiser than his fellows as subsequent events proved, determined to fight his way through Ugogo without paying tribute, and with this view collected about nine hundred people and openly declared his intentions.
The Wagogo never even waited for his approach, but filled up the pools, burnt their houses and such stores as they could not carry, and retreated into the jungle with their wives, children, cattle, and all their movables. The Arab and his men though quite prepared to contend with human foes were beaten by hunger and thirst; and while some returned to Unyanyembé, whence they had started, many more died of starvation, and only eight or ten reached Mpwapwa in safety.
It is said that six or seven hundred men perished in this attempt.
Ugogo is about one hundred miles square, but is divided into numerous independent chieftainships in each of which mhongo has to be paid and delay experienced.
The country is arid and parched during the dry season, but in the rains which last from November to May is well watered, and large crops of matama which ripens in June are easily raised. It is upon the stalks of this that the cattle are principally fed in the drought, and they appear in good condition notwithstanding its seeming lack of nutriment.
Every tribe possesses a herd of cattle which is attended to by all the grown-up males in rotation, the chiefs even taking their turn at this duty.
Numerous watercourses are met with, and in their beds water may frequently be obtained by digging. There are also a few small natural ponds; but where both these ressources fail, the inhabitants dig pits to contain sufficient rain to last them until the season arrives. After a time the water in these holes becomes indescribably nauseous, and is very often rendered brackish by the large amount of salt in the soil.
On the 22nd of June we moved to Mvumi, the village of the chief of the first division of Ugogo, and were thouroughly initiated into the vexations of paying mhongo and the manner in which negotiations respecting the amount are conducted.
At the moment of our arrival the chief and his people were celebrating the obsequies of one of his sisters who had departed this life a week previously, and consequently every one was drunk.
This circumstance detained us three days. during which a gang of Wayamwési engaged by Murphy at Bagamoyo bolted en masse. He had entrusted their payment to Abdûllah Dina, and that worthy gave them such villainous cloth that they considered themselves cheated when they saw the "superior material" which our people had received. Not contented with deserting only, they stole a load of cloth from one of the small parties accompanying us, which we felt bound to replace, being responsible for the acts of our servants.
They joined the Wanyanwési whom we had protected at Mpwapwa, and who thus commenced to show their ingratitude by aiding their countrymen to desert and rob us.
As the chief had given orders that none of the inhabitants should enter the camp, on account of trouble having arisen on several occasions between them and passers-by, with loss of life on both sides, we were obliged to send about the country to procure food during our halt there.
The Wagogo are easily distinguished from other tribes by the custom of piercing their ears and enlarging the lobes to a monstruous extent, wearing in them pieces of wood, earrings of brass wire, gourd snuff-boxes and a variety of miscellaneous articles; in fact the ear of a Mgogo answers much the same purpose as a pocket to people indulging in wearing apparel. The lobes are often so enormous as to descend to the shoulders, and in old age frequently become broken or torn. In this case the indispensable earrings are either suspended by a string across the top of the head, or a fresh hole in one of the hanging ends, which ultimately becomes as large as the former one.
Their arms are double-edged knives, spears, bows and arrows and knobsticks. A few also carry hide shields similar in shape to those of Mpwapwa, but with the hair scrapped off and patterns painted on them in red, yellow, black and white.
Small copper and brass bracelets, worked at Zanzibar, are much worn as well as kitindi of iron and brass wire, which are also placed round the upper arm and above and below the knee. And a peculiar ornament carved in horn, shaped like a double chevron with spikes projecting from the upper angles covered with wire and tipped with small knobs of brass, is worn on the upper part of the left arm.
But it is in the adornment (?) of their heads that the Wagogo principally exercise their inventive powers; and nothing is too absurd or hideous to please them.
Some twist their wool into innumerable small springs artificially lengthened by working in fibres of the baobab-tree, and either make them project wildly in all directions or allow them to fall more naturally, cutting them level with the eyebrows but letting them lie in a mass on the back of the neck. On the ends of these strings there are often little brass balls and different coloured beads.
Other cover their heads with copper pice brightly polished, or shave the greater part of the crown, training from the unshorn portions a varying number of stiff tails frequently wound round with copper or brass wire, whilst their brows are bound with a strip of white cowhide.
From the traders they obtain white cloth which they dye a dirty yellow with clay, and they smear themselves with red earth, sometimes in patches and spots, but at others uniformly over the whole body.
Adding to this circumstance that the Wagogo are usually dripping with rancid ghee or castor-oil, and never wash, some slight idea of their objectionable appearance and smell may be formed.
Having concluded the payment of mhongo at Mvumi, we left on the 25th of June, arriving the same afternoon at a pretty little ziwa or pond, surrounded by fine trees and with short, turf-like sward stretching back from the water's edge, forming a complete oasis in the midst of the sterile country through which we had journeyed. It was about four hundred yards long and two hundred wide, and was the chosen haunt of numerous water-fowl.
Dillon and Murphy took the boat and managed to bag a few birds somewat like teal; but I was unable to move about owing to my boot having chafed the place on which I had an abscess when at Rehenneko and rendered me again quite lame.
Our march had been almost devoid of incident, excepting that the caravan was brought to a standstill on one occasion by some of the cloth carriers attempting to take precedence of the more aristocratic wire carriers.
And a second time, some Wagogo refused to allow us to pass their tembé without mhongo; but having already paid at Mvumi, to which district these people belonged, this was a barefaced imposition. I told the Wagogo they might take payment in lead from our riffles, although our timid men wanted to persuade me to allow myself to be cheated. And seeing three white men with rifles who evidently did not intend to submit to any exortion, they thought it most prudent to draw in their horns and let the caravan pass without further opposition.
The country was only partially cultivated, and some places were so sterile as to produce nothing but stunted acacias and a thorn which I called the "angular" tree. Every bend was a sharp angle and there was not a curve in any portion of its branches.
Under these acacias were strewn numerous natural caltrops, formed by a sort of excressence on the trees which protruded four sharp, stiff thorns, each three inches long. When dry these fall to the ground and offer a serious impediment to bare-footed men.
In one portion of our road there were many narrow rifts, seemingly occasioned by a recent earthquake, but I failed to make any one understand my enquiries as to their cause.
On reaching the tembé of the chief of this district, which was called Mapalatta, we were again compelled to pay mhongo, but owing to the headman being drunk this matter could not be arranged the day of our arrival. The chief was very civil and gave us permission to take any matama stalks we might require for building huts and feeding the donkeys, during the time we were detained waiting for the headman to become sober.
Many visitors came to inspect our wonderful belongings - watches, guns, pistols, compasses, etc. - and one old man who was the chief's uncle and adopted father, after staring for a long time in mute admiration said, "Oh these white men ! they make all these wonderful things, and know how to use them ! Surely men who know so much ought never to die; they must be clever enough to make a medicine to keep them always young and strong, so that they never die."
I believe the old gentleman had some idea that we were a few thousand years old and had evolved guns, watches, and all out of our inner consciousness.
He was very communicative, telling us that six circlets of skin on his left wrist were of elephant's hide and denoted the number he had killed. This induced me to enquire whether the yellow ones on his right wrist were trophies of lions he had killed; but he replied, "Oh, no ! goat's skin, worn as a fetish."
Honey was plentiful here, but as a party of Wadirigo were reported to be lurking about in the jungle no one could be persuaded to go out to collect any for us.
On the day following mhongo was settled satisfactorily to the chief, in particular, and relatively to us, for he was greatly pleased with what we gave him and we rejoiced at having paid less than we expected. A timely present to his adopted father had probably something to do with the moderation of his demands.
Perhaps a word may be necessary in explanation of the term "adopted father." It arises from the custom observed on the death of a chief, when the son is supposed to look upon his father's eldest surviving brother as his new or adopted father; but only in private, and not in public, matters.
When preparing for the road on the 29th of June, the remaining goats of those purchased from our friendly thieves, the Wadirigo, were missing; so Issa and a few askari were left to look after them while we proceeded with the caravan to Mpanga Sanga.
This was a clearing in the jungle three miles in diameter, with half-a-dozen tembés and the residence of yet another independent chief.
On the road a little cultivation was passed with some tembés dependent upon it and our camp was pitched near the chief's hut on the edge of a partially dried-up lake.
In the absence of Issa the payment of mhongo was entrusted to Bombay; but the old man got in a fearful fog about it, and it ended in a dispute between the chief and myself. I considered his demands unreasonable and directed Bombay not to unfasten any bales in the open camp but in my tent, to prevent the prying eyes of the natives from seeing my good cloth. Because I knew they would most assuredly report to the chief what I possessed, and he would base his demands on this information instead of on the number of bales.
Bombay, however, became confused and frightened and opened several loads in the presence of a number of Wagogo. They instantly told their chief they had seen a couple of expensive Indian cloths, intended by me to present to the Arabs or important chiefs; but which, of course, were now demanded.
I naturally upbraided Bombay for having acted in this manner and desired him to inform the chief that he could not have the cloths. He then became still more foolish, and whilst away on this errand left a bale of common cloth exposed. This dangerous proceeding, in a place where every man's fingers are fish-hooks, resulted in two whole pieces of merikani being stolen; and in the end I was obliged to part with one of the Indian cloths besides losing the merikani.
When Issa arrived he brought only one of the six stolen goats, although the chief at Mapalatta had given him every assistance in looking for them. The others had been carried off by a party of Wadirigo - supposed to be attached to those of whom we had bought them - so that our encouragement of dishonesty brought its own reward.
It was not, perhaps, a very correct thing according to a high code of morality to become a receiver of stolen goods; but I thought we might as well accept the offer, especially as the original owners, the fugitives whom we met near Lake Ugombo, could not have benefited in the slightest degree by our abstaining from purchasing from the Wadirigo.
July 1, 1873Leaving Mpanga Sanga on the 1st of July, we marched for some hours through jungle with open spaces and ziwas, at the last of which we made a mid-day halt. It was of considerable size with a goodly number of water-fowl about, so we launched the boat and succeeded in bagging four or five ducks.
This was a favourite camping-place, and various passing caravans had ornamented it with trophies of horns and skulls of buffaloes and antelopes which had been shot when coming to drink.
In the afternoon we marched on with scarcely any intermission through a rough country covered with jungle and forest, until, owing to the lateness of the hour and the men being tired, it was hopeless to reach the next watering-place that evening. But the next morning we started before sunrise and for the first time in Africa felt cold, the air being very chilly.
Arriving at a camping-place near a partially dried-up ziwa, we found a down caravan on the point of leaving, and in answer to our enquiries ascertained that Mirambo was still to the fore.
They had heard that Livingstone was all right; but their knowledge of his whereabouts was so vague that we placed no trust in their reports.
At this camp which was on the outskirts of Kanyenyé, the largest and most ancient of all the districts in Ugogo, we were visited by a grandson of Magomba the head chief, who brought us a liberal present of milk and honey. He said they had long heard of us, and his grandfather had ordered him to advise us to follow the direct road to his tembé. Otherwise a son of the old chief would endeavour to persuade us to pass by his place with the view of extorting presents, which he had no authority for doing. And truly enough, emissaries arrived from this son in the afternoon trying to induce us to pay him a visit. We politely declined.
Kanyenyé is a broad depression in the centre of Ugogo, principally remarkable for the manufacture of salt, large quantities of which are exported to their neighbours.
It is scraped from the surface of the earth where patches and salf efflorescence are found, mixed with water and boiled down, and made into cones like sugar loaves about eighteen inches high.
From this we moved to Great Kanyenyé, crossing a plain studded with baobab-trees and at a ziwa we noticed a fine herd of cattle being watered. The country was almost wholly under cultivation, and numerous tembés were passed on this march. At the entrance to one we noticed many people suffering from small-pox; the first instance, since leaving the coast, we had seen of this fell disease which at times sweeps like a devouring fire throughout large portions of Africa.
