The Farther We Went In This Country The Better We Liked It, As
The People Were All Kept In Good Order; And The Village Chiefs
Were So Civil, That We Could Do As We Liked.
After following
down the left side of the valley and entering the village, the
customary presents and returns were made.
Wishing then to obtain
a better view of the country, I strolled over the nearest hills,
and found the less exposed slopes well covered with trees. Small
antelopes occasionally sprang up from the grass. I shot a
florikan for the pot; and as I had never before seen white
rhinoceros, killed one now; though, as no one would eat him, I
felt sorry rather than otherwise for what I had done. When I
returned in the evening, small boys brought me sparrows for sale;
and then I remembered the stories I had heard from Musa Mzuri -
that in the whole of Karague the small birds were so numerous,
the people, to save themselves from starvation were obliged to
grow a bitter corn which the birds disliked; and so I found it.
At night, whilst observing for latitude, I was struck by surprise
to see a long noisy procession pass by where I sat, led by some
men who carried on their shoulders a woman covered up in a
blackened skin. On inquiry, however, I heard she was being taken
to the hut of her espoused, where, "bundling fashion," she would
be put in bed; but it was only with virgins they took so much
trouble.
A strange but characteristic story now reached my ears. Masudi,
the merchant who took up Insangez, had been trying his best to
deter Rumanika from allowing us to enter his country, by saying
we were addicted to sorcery; and had it not been for Insangez's
remonstrances, who said we were sent up by Musa, our fate would
have been doubtful. Rumanika, it appeared, as I always had
heard, considered old Musa his saviour, for having eight years
before quelled a rebellion, when his younger brother, Rogero,
aspired to the throne; whilst Musa's honour and honesty were
quite unimpeachable. But more of this hereafter.
Khonze, the next place, lying in the bending concave of this
swamp lake, and facing Hangiro, was commanded by a fine elderly
man called Muzegi, who was chief officer during Dagara's time.
He told me with the greatest possible gravity, that he remembered
well the time when a boat could have gone from this to Vigura; as
also when fish and crocodiles came up from the Kitangule; but the
old king no sooner died than the waters dried up; which showed as
plainly as words could tell, that the king had designed it, to
make men remember him with sorrow in all future ages. Our
presents after this having been exchanged, the good old man, at
my desire, explained the position of all the surrounding
countries, in his own peculiar manner, by laying a long stick on
the ground pointing due north and south, to which he attached
shorter ones pointing to the centre of each distant country.
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