Volume Ii Part 2 (1/2)

_11th August, 1869._--Came to a village of Ba Rua, surrounded by hills of some 200 feet above the plain; trees spa.r.s.e.

_12th-13th August, 1869._--At villages of Mekheto. Guha people. Remain to buy and prepare food, and because many are sick.

_16th August, 1869._--West and by north through much forest reach Kalalibebe; buffalo killed.

_17th August, 1869._--To a high mountain, Golu or Gulu, and sleep at its base.

_18th August, 1869._--Cross two rills flowing into River Mgoluye. Kagoya and Moishe flow into Lob.u.mba.

_19th August, 1869._--To the River Lob.u.mba, forty-five yards Avide, thigh deep, and rapid current. Logumba and Lob.u.mba are both from Kabogo Mounts: one goes into Tanganyika, and the other, or Lob.u.mba, into and is the Luamo: prawns are found in this river. The country east of the Lob.u.mba is called Lobanda, that west of it, Kitwa.

_21st August, 1869._--Went on to the River Loungwa, which has worn for itself a rut in new red sandstone twenty feet deep, and only three or four feet wide at the lips.

_25th August, 1869._--We rest because all are tired; travelling at this season is excessively fatiguing. It is very hot at even 10 A.M., and 2 or 3 hours tires the strongest--carriers especially so: during the rains five hours would not have fatigued so much as three do now. We are now on the same level as Tanganyika. The dense ma.s.s of black smoke rising from the burning gra.s.s and reeds on the Lob.u.mba, or Rob.u.mba, obscures the sun, and very sensibly lowers the temperature of the sultriest day; it looks like the smoke in Martin's pictures. The Manyuema arrows here are very small, and made of strong gra.s.s stalks, but poisoned, the large ones, for elephants and buffaloes, are poisoned also.

_31st August, 1869._--Course N.W. among Palmyras and Hyphene Palms, and many villages swarming with people. Crossed Kibila, a hot fountain about 120, to sleep at Kolokolo River, five yards wide, and knee deep: midway we pa.s.sed the River Kanzazala. On asking the name of a mountain on our right I got three names for it--Kaloba, Chingedi, and Kihomba, a fair specimen of the superabundance of names in this country!

_1st September, 1869._--West in flat forest, then cross Kis.h.i.+la River, and go on to Kunde's villages. The Katamba is a fine rivulet. Kunde is an old man without dignity or honour: he came to beg, but offered nothing.

_2nd September, 1869._--We remained at Katamba to hunt buffaloes and rest, as I am still weak. A young elephant was killed, and I got the heart: the Arabs do not eat it, but that part is nice if well cooked.

A Lunda slave, for whom I interceded to be freed of the yoke, ran away, and as he is near the Barna, his countrymen, he will be hidden. He told his plan to our guide, and asked to accompany him back to Tanganyika, but he is eager to deliver him up for a reward: all are eager to press each other down in the mire into which they are already sunk.

_5th September, 1869._--Kunde's people refused the tusks of an elephant killed by our hunter, a.s.serting that they had killed it themselves with a hoe: they have no honour here, as some have elsewhere.

_7th September, 1869._--W. and N.W., through forest and immense fields of ca.s.sava, some three years old, with roots as thick as a stout man's leg.

_8th September, 1869._--Across five rivers and through many villages.

The country is covered with ferns and gingers, and miles and miles of ca.s.sava. On to village of Karun-gamagao.

_9th September, 1869._--Rest again to shoot meat, as elephants and buffaloes are very abundant: the Suaheli think that adultery is an obstacle to success in killing this animal: no harm can happen to him who is faithful to his wife, and has the proper charms inserted under the skin of his forearms.

_10th September, 1869._--North and north-west, over four rivers, and.

past the village of Makala, to near that of Pyana-mosinde.

_12th September, 1869._--We had wandered, and now came back to our path on hilly ground. The days are sultry and smoking. We came to some villages of Pyana-mosinde; the population prodigiously large. A sword was left at the camp, and at once picked up; though the man was traced to a village it was refused, till he accidentally cut his foot with it, and became afraid that worse would follow, elsewhere it would have been given up at once: Pyana-mosinde came out and talked very sensibly.

_13th September, 1869._--Along towards the Moloni or Mononi; cross seven rills. The people seized three slaves who lagged behind, but hearing a gun fired at guinea-fowls let them go. Route N.

_14th September, 1869._--Up and down hills perpetually. We went down into some deep dells, filled with gigantic trees, and I measured one twenty feet in circ.u.mference, and sixty or seventy feet high to the first branches; others seemed fit to be s.h.i.+p's spars. Large lichens covered many and numerous new plants appeared on the ground.

_15th September, 1869._--Got clear of the mountains after 1-1/2 hour, and then the vast valley of Mamba opened out before us; very beautiful, and much of it cleared of trees. Met Dugumbe carrying 18,000 lbs. of ivory, purchased in this new field very cheaply, because no traders had ever gone into the country beyond Bambarre, or Moenekuss's district before.

We were now in the large bend of the Lualaba, which is here much larger than at Mpweto's, near Moero Lake. River Kesingwe.

_16th September, 1869._--To Kasangangazi's. We now came to the first palm-oil trees (_Elais Guineensis_) in our way since we left Tanganyika.

They had evidently been planted at villages. Light-grey parrots, with red tails, also became common, whose name, Kuss or Koos, gives the chief his name, Moenekuss (”Lord of the Parrot”); but the Manyuema p.r.o.nunciation is Monanjoose. Much reedy gra.s.s, fully half an inch in diameter in the stalk on our route, and over the top of the range Moloni, which we ascended: the valleys are impa.s.sable.

_17th September, 1869._--Remain to buy food at Kasanga's, and rest the carriers. The country is full of pahn-oil palms, and very beautiful. Our people are all afraid to go out of sight of the camp for necessary purposes, lest the Manyuema should kill them. Here was the barrier to traders going north, for the very people among whom we now are, murdered anyone carrying a tusk, till last year, when Moene-mokaia, or Katomba, got into friends.h.i.+p with Moenekuss, who protected his people, and always behaved in a generous sensible manner. Dilongo, now a chief here, came to visit us: his elder brother died, and he was elected; he does not wash in consequence, and is very dirty.

Two buffaloes were killed yesterday. The people have their bodies tattooed with new and full moons, stars, crocodiles, and Egyptian gardens.

_19th September, 1869._--We crossed several rivulets three yards to twelve yards, and calf deep. The mountain where we camped is called Sangomelambe.