Ibrahim's heart was made glad this evening by the return of
Ulimengo with the salt and the cloth, and the one-eyed old man
danced with his great joy, and came in all haste to impart to me
the glad news. "Lo, the `World' has come back. Sure. My salt
and my cloth are with him also. Sure." To which I replied,
that he had better feed him in future, as slaves required food
as well as their masters.
From 10 P.M. to midnight the Doctor was employed in taking
observations from the star Canopus, the result of which was that
he ascertained Mpokwa, district of Utanda, Ukonongo, to be in S.
latitude 6 degrees 18 minutes 40 seconds. On comparing it with
its position as laid down in my map by dead reckoning, I found
we differed by three miles; I having !aid it down at 6 degrees
15 minutes south latitude.
The day following was a halt. The Doctor's feet were so inflamed
and sore that he could not bear his shoes on. My heels were also
raw, and I viciously cut large circles out of my shoes to enable
me to move about.
Having converted my zinc canteens into bullets, and provided
myself with a butcher and gun-bearer, I set out for the lovely
park-land and plain west of Mpokwa stream, with the laudable
resolution to obtain something; and seeing nothing in the plain,
I crossed over a ridge, and came to a broad basin covered with
tall grass, with clumps here and there of hyphene palm, with a
stray mimosa or so scattered about. Nibbling off the branches
of the latter, I saw a group of giraffes, and then began stalking
them through the grass, taking advantage of the tall grass-grown
ant-hills that I might approach the wary beasts before their great
eyes could discover me. I contrived to come within 175 yards, by
means of one of these curious hummocks; but beyond it no man could
crawl without being observed - the grass was so thin and short. I
took a long breath, wiped my perspiring brow, and sat down for a
while; my black assistants also, like myself, were almost breathless
with the exertion, and the high expectations roused by the near
presence of the royal beasts. I toyed lovingly with the heavy
Reilly, saw to my cartridges, and then stood up and turned, with
my rifle ready; took one good, long, steady aim; then lowered it
again to arrange the sights, lifted it up once more - dropped it.
A giraffe half turned his body; for the last time I lifted it,
took one quick sight at the region of the heart, and fired.
He staggered, reeled, then made a short gallop; but the blood
was spouting from the wound in a thick stream, and before he had
gone 200 yards he came to a dead halt, with his ears drawn back,
and allowed me to come within twenty yards of him, when, receiving
a zinc bullet through the head, he fell dead.
"Allah ho, akhbar!" cried Khamisi, my butcher, fervently.
"This is meat, master!"
I was rather saddened than otherwise at seeing the noble animal
stretched before me. If I could have given him his life back I
think I should have done so. I thought it a great pity that such
splendid animals, so well adapted for the service of man in Africa,
could not be converted to some other use than that of food.
Horses, mules, and donkeys died in these sickly regions; but what
a blessing for Africa would it be if we could tame the giraffes and
zebras for the use of explorers and traders! Mounted on a zebra,
a man would be enabled to reach Ujiji in one month from Bagamoyo;
whereas it took me over seven months to travel that distance!
The dead giraffe measured 16 feet 9 inches from his right fore-hoof
to the top of his head, and was one of the largest size, though
some have been found to measure over 17 feet. He was spotted all
over with large black, nearly round, patches.
I left Khamisi in charge of the dead beast, while I returned to
camp to send off men to cut it up, and convey the meat to our
village. But Khamisi climbed a tree for fear of the lions, and the
vultures settled on it, so that when the men arrived on the spot,
the eyes, the tongue, and a great part of the posteriors were eaten
up. What remained weighed as follows, when brought in and hung to
the scales:
1 hind leg . . . . 134 lbs.
1 " . . . . 136 "
1 fore leg . . . . 160 "
I " . . . . 160 "
Ribs . . . . . . 158 "
Neck . . . . . . 74 "
Rump . . . . . . 87 "
Breast . . . . . 46 "
Liver . . . . . 20 "
Lungs . . . . . 12 "
Heart . . . . . 6 "
Total weight of eatable portions . . 993 lbs.
Skin and head, 181 lbs.
The three days following I suffered from a severe attack of fever,
and was unable to stir from bed. I applied my usual remedies for
it, which consisted of colocynth and quinine; but experience has
shown me that an excessive use of the same cathartic weakens its
effect, and that it would be well for travellers to take with them
different medicines to cause proper action in the liver, such as
colocynth, calomel, resin of jalap, Epsom salts; and that no
quinine should be taken until such medicines shall have prepared
the system for its reception.
The Doctor's prescription for fever consists of 3 grains
of resin of jalap, and 2 grains of calomel, with tincture of
cardamoms put in just enough to prevent irritation of the
stomach - made into the form of a pill - which is to be taken as
soon as one begins to feel the excessive languor and weariness
which is the sure forerunner of the African type of fever. An
hour or two later a cup of coffee, unsugared and without milk,
ought to be taken, to cause a quicker action.
