I Shall Never Forget
The Dry, Hot East Winds Of That Region; The Yellowish, Sultry, Cloudless Sky;
The Grass And
All the plants drooping from drought, the cattle lean,
the people dispirited, and our own hearts sick from hope deferred.
There we often heard in the dead of the night the shrill whistle
of the rain-doctor calling for rain that would not come,
while here we listened to the rolling thunder by night,
and beheld the swelling valleys adorned with plenty by day.
We have rain almost daily, and every thing is beautifully fresh and green.
I felt somewhat as people do on coming ashore after a long voyage -
inclined to look upon the landscape in the most favorable light.
The hills are covered with forests, and there is often
a long line of fleecy cloud lying on them about midway up;
they are very beautiful. Finding no one willing to aid us
in crossing the river, we proceeded to the village of the chief Mpende.
A fine large conical hill now appeared to the N.N.E.;
it is the highest I have seen in these parts, and at some points
it appears to be two cones joined together, the northern one being
a little lower than the southern. Another high hill stands on the same side
to the N.E., and, from its similarity in shape to an axe at the top,
is called Motemwa. Beyond it, eastward, lies the country of Kaimbwa,
a chief who has been engaged in actual conflict with the Bazunga,
and beat them too, according to the version of things here.
The hills on the north bank are named Kamoenja. When we came
to Mpende's village, he immediately sent to inquire who we were,
and then ordered the guides who had come with us from the last village
to go back and call their masters. He sent no message to us whatever.
We had traveled very slowly up to this point, the tsetse-stricken oxen
being now unable to go two miles an hour. We were also delayed
by being obliged to stop at every village, and send notice of our approach
to the head man, who came and received a little information,
and gave some food. If we had passed on without taking any notice of them,
they would have considered it impolite, and we should have appeared
more as enemies than friends. I consoled myself for the loss of time
by the thought that these conversations tended to the opening
of our future path.
23D. This morning, at sunrise, a party of Mpende's people came close
to our encampment, uttering strange cries and waving some bright red substance
toward us. They then lighted a fire with charms in it, and departed,
uttering the same hideous screams as before. This was intended
to render us powerless, and probably also to frighten us. Ever since dawn,
parties of armed men have been seen collecting from all quarters, and numbers
passed us while it was yet dark.
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