How I Found Livingstone by Henry M. Stanley (trending books to read .txt) 📕

appertaining to the study of Inner Africa was obtainable,

but information respecting the organization of an expedition

requisite before proceeding to Africa, was not in any book.

The Europeans at Zanzibar knew as little as possible about this

particular point. There was not one white man at Zanzibar who

could tell how many dotis a day a force of one hundred men

required to buy food for one day on the road. Neither, indeed,

was it their business to know. But what should I do at all, at

all? This was a grand question.

 

I decided it were best to hunt up an Arab merchant who had been

engaged in the ivory trade, or who was fresh from the interior.

 

Sheikh Hashid was a man of note and of wealth in Zanzibar. He had

himself despatched several caravans into the interior, and was

necessarily acquainted with several prominent traders who came to

his house to gossip about their adventures and gains. He was also

the proprietor of the large house Capt. Webb occupied; besides,

he lived across the narrow street which separated his house from

the Consulate. Of all men Sheikh Hashid was the man to be

consulted, and he was accordingly invited to visit me at the

Consulate.

 

From the grey-bearded and venerable-looking Sheikh, I elicited

more information about African currency, the mode of procedure,

the quantity and quality of stuffs I required, than I had obtained

from three months’ study of books upon Central Africa; and from

other Arab merchants to whom the ancient Sheikh introduced me,

I received most valuable suggestions and hints, which enabled me

at last to organize an Expedition.

 

The reader must bear in mind that a traveller requires only that

which is sufficient for travel and exploration that a superfluity

of goods or means will prove as fatal to him as poverty of

supplies. It is on this question of quality and quantity that

the traveller has first to exercise his judgment and discretion.

 

My informants gave me to understand that for one hundred men,

10 doti, or 40 yards of cloth per diem, would suffice for food.

The proper course to pursue, I found, was to purchase 2,000 doti

of American sheeting, 1,000 doti of Kaniki, and 650 doti of the

coloured cloths, such as Barsati, a great favourite in Unyamwezi;

Sohari, taken in Ugogo; Ismahili, Taujiri, Joho, Shash, Rehani,

Jamdani or Kunguru-Cutch, blue and pink. These were deemed amply

sufficient for the subsistence of one hundred men for twelve

months. Two years at this rate would require 4,000 doti = 16,000

yards of American sheeting; 2,000 doti = 8,000 yards of Kaniki;

1,300 doti = 5,200 yards of mixed coloured cloths. This was

definite and valuable information to me, and excepting the lack

of some suggestions as to the quality of the sheeting, Kaniki,

and coloured cloths, I had obtained all I desired upon this point.

 

Second in importance to the amount of cloth required was the

quantity and quality of the beads necessary. Beads, I was told,

took the place of cloth currency among some tribes of the

interior. One tribe preferred white to black beads, brown to

yellow, red to green, green to white, and so on. Thus, in

Unyamwezi, red (sami-sami) beads would readily be taken, where

all other kinds would be refused; black (bubu) beads, though

currency in Ugogo, were positively worthless with all other

tribes; the egg (sungomazzi) beads, though valuable in Ujiji

and Uguhha, would be refused in all other countries; the white

(Merikani) beads though good in Ufipa, and some parts of Usagara

and Ugogo, would certainly be despised in Useguhha and Ukonongo.

Such being the case, I was obliged to study closely, and calculate

the probable stay of an expedition in the several countries, so as

to be sure to provide a sufficiency of each kind, and guard against

any great overplus. Burton and Speke, for instance, were obliged

to throw away as worthless several hundred fundo of beads.

 

For example, supposing the several nations of Europe had each its

own currency, without the means of exchange, and supposing a man

was about to travel through Europe on foot, before starting he

would be apt to calculate how many days it would take him to

travel through France; how many through Prussia, Austria, and

Russia, then to reckon the expense he would be likely to incur

per day. If the expense be set down at a napoleon per day, and

his journey through France would occupy thirty days, the sum

required forgoing and returning might be properly set down at

sixty napoleons, in which case, napoleons not being current money

in Prussia, Austria, or Russia, it would be utterly useless for

him to burden himself with the weight of a couple of thousand

napoleons in gold.

 

My anxiety on this point was most excruciating. Over and over

I studied the hard names and measures, conned again and again

the polysyllables; hoping to be able to arrive some time at an

intelligible definition of the terms. I revolved in my mind

the words Mukunguru, Ghulabio, Sungomazzi,

Kadunduguru, Mutunda, Samisami, Bubu, Merikani, Hafde, Lunghio-Rega,

and Lakhio, until I was fairly beside myself. Finally, however,

I came to the conclusion that if I reckoned my requirements at

fifty khete, or five fundo per day, for two years, and if I

purchased only eleven varieties, I might consider myself safe

enough. The purchase was accordingly made, and twenty-two

sacks of the best species were packed and brought to Capt. Webb’s

house, ready for transportation to Bagamoyo.

 

After the beads came the wire question. I discovered, after

considerable trouble, that Nos. 5 and 6—almost of the thickness

of telegraph wire—were considered the best numbers for trading

purposes. While beads stand for copper coins in Africa, cloth

measures for silver; wire is reckoned as gold in the countries

beyond the Tan-ga-ni-ka.* Ten frasilah, or 350 lbs., of brass-wire,

my Arab adviser thought, would be ample.

_________________

* It will be seen that I differ from Capt. Burton in the spelling

of this word, as I deem the letter ” y ” superfluous.

________________

 

Having purchased the cloth, the beads, and the wire, it was with

no little pride that I surveyed the comely bales and packages lying

piled up, row above row, in Capt. Webb’s capacious storeroom.

Yet my work was not ended, it was but beginning; there were

provisions, cooking-utensils, boats, rope, twine, tents, donkeys,

saddles, bagging, canvas, tar, needles, tools, ammunition, guns,

equipments, hatchets, medicines, bedding, presents for chiefs—in

short, a thousand things not yet purchased. The ordeal of

chaffering and -haggling with steel-hearted Banyans, Hindis, Arabs,

and half-castes was most trying. For instance, I purchased

twenty-two donkeys at Zanzibar. $40 and $50 were asked, which

I had to reduce to $15 or $20 by an infinite amount of argument

worthy, I think, of a nobler cause. As was my experience with the

ass-dealers so was it with the petty merchants; even a paper of pins

was not purchased without a five per cent. reduction from the price

demanded, involving, of course, a loss of much time and patience.

 

After collecting the donkeys, I discovered there were no

pack-saddles to be obtained in Zanzibar. Donkeys without

pack-saddles were of no use whatever. I invented a saddle to

be manufactured by myself and my white man Farquhar, wholly

from canvas, rope, and cotton.

 

Three or four frasilahs of cotton, and ten bolts of canvas were

required for the saddles. A specimen saddle was made by myself in

order to test its efficiency. A donkey was taken and saddled, and

a load of 140 lbs. was fastened to it, and though the animal—a

wild creature of Unyamwezi—struggled and reared frantic ally, not

a particle gave way. After this experiment, Farquhar was set to work

to manufacture twenty-one more after the same pattern. Woollen

pads were also purchased to protect the animals from being galled.

It ought to be mentioned here, perhaps, that the idea of such a

saddle as I manufactured, was first derived from the Otago saddle,

in use among the transport-trains of the English army in

Abyssinia.

 

A man named John William Shaw—a native of London, England, lately

third-mate of the American ship `Nevada’—applied to me for work.

Though his discharge from the `Nevada’ was rather suspicious, yet

he possessed all the requirements of such a man as I needed, and

was an experienced hand with the palm and needle, could cut canvas

to fit anything, was a pretty good navigator, ready and willing,

so far as his professions went.. I saw no reason to refuse his

services, and he was accordingly engaged at $300 per annum, to rank

second to William L. Farquhar. Farquhar was a capital navigator

and excellent mathematician; was strong, energetic, and clever.

 

The next thing I was engaged upon was to enlist, arm, and equip,

a faithful escort of twenty men for the road. Johari, the chief

dragoman of the American Consulate, informed me that he knew where

certain of Speke’s “Faithfuls” were yet to be found. The idea had

struck me before, that if I could obtain the services of a few men

acquainted with the ways of white men, and who could induce other

good men to join the expedition I was organizing, I might consider

myself fortunate. More especially had I thought of Seedy Mbarak

Mombay, commonly called “Bombay,” who though his head was

“woodeny,” and his hands” clumsy,” was considered to be the

“faithfulest” of the “Faithfuls.”

 

With the aid of the dragoman Johari, I secured in a few hours the

services of Uledi (Capt. Grant’s former valet), Ulimengo, Baruti,

Ambari, Mabruki (Muinyi Mabruki—Bullheaded Mabruki, Capt.

Burton’s former unhappy valet)—five of Speke’s “Faithfuls.” When I

asked them if they were willing to join another white man’s

expedition to Ujiji, they replied very readily that they were

willing to join any brother of “Speke’s.” Dr. John Kirk, Her

Majesty’s Consul at Zanzibar, who was present, told them that

though I was no brother of “Speke’s,” I spoke his language. This

distinction mattered little to them: and I heard them, with great

delight, declare their readiness to go anywhere with me, or do

anything I wished.

 

Mombay, as they called him, or Bombay, as we know him, had gone to

Pemba, an island lying north of Zanzibar. Uledi was sure Mombay

would jump with joy at the prospect of another expedition. Johari

was therefore commissioned to write to him at Pemba, to inform him

of the good fortune in store for him.

 

On the fourth morning after the letter had been despatched, the

famous Bombay made his appearance, followed in decent order and

due rank by the “Faithfuls” of “Speke.” I looked in vain for the

“woodeny head” and “alligator teeth” with which his former

master had endowed him. I saw a slender short man of fifty or

thereabouts, with a grizzled head, an uncommonly high, narrow

forehead, with a very large mouth, showing teeth very irregular,

and wide apart. An ugly rent in the upper front row of Bombay’s

teeth was made with the clenched fist of Capt. Speke in Uganda

when his master’s patience was worn out, and prompt punishment

became necessary. That Capt. Speke had spoiled him with kindness

was evident, from the fact that Bombay had the audacity to stand

up for a boxing-match with him. But these things I only found

out, when, months afterwards, I was called upon to administer

punishment to him myself. But, at his first appearance, I was

favourably impressed with Bombay, though his face was rugged, his

mouth large, his eyes small, and his nose flat.

 

“Salaam aliekum,” were the words he greeted me with. “Aliekum

salaam,” I replied, with all the gravity I could muster. I then

informed him I required him as captain of my soldiers to Ujiji.

His reply