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.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 261 of 767
Words from 71369 to 71653
of 210958
