attacked by the combined forces of the mwana ntaba and baswa tribes.—they are repulsed.—exploring the first cataract.—carrying and dragging the boats through the forest and around the falls.—an island camp.—native weapons and utensils.—another battle.—how zaidi was saved from a perilous position.—caught in a net.—how the net was broken.—fishes in the great river.—how the other cataracts were passed.—afloat on smooth water.—a hostile village.—another battle.—attacked by a large flotilla.—a monster boat.—a temple of ivory.—no market for elephants' tusks.—evidences of cannibalism.—friendly natives of rubunga.—portuguese muskets in the hands of the natives.
fred paused a few moments and then resumed the narrative:
"at 4 a.m. of the 5th of january we were awake, cooking betimes the food that was to strengthen us for the task that lay before us, while the screaming lemur and the soko still alarmed the dark forest with their weird cries.
african stool.
"we were left undisturbed until 8 a.m., when the canoes of the mwana ntaba were observed to cross over to the left bank, and in response to their signals the forest behind our camp was soon alive with wild men. frank distributed thirty rounds to each of the forty-three guns which now remained to us. including my own guns, we possessed only forty-eight altogether, as manwa sera had lost four sniders in the ukassa rapid, and by the capsizing of the two canoes in the tempest which struck us as we crossed the livingstone below its confluence with the lowwa, we had lost four muskets. but more terrible for our enemies than sniders or muskets was the courage of despair that now nerved every heart and kept cool and resolute every head.
"by river the cannibals had but little chance of success, and this the mwana ntaba after a very few rounds from our guns discovered; they therefore allied themselves with the baswa tribe, which during the night had crossed over from its islands, below the first falls. until 10 a.m. we held our own safely in the camp,[pg 260] but then, breaking out of it, we charged on the foe, and until 3 p.m. were incessantly at work. ten of our men received wounds, and two were killed. to prevent them becoming food for the cannibals, we consigned them to the swift brown flood of the livingstone.
"the mwana ntaba and the baswas at length retired, and though we momentarily expected a visit from them each day, for the next two or three days we were unmolested.
"early on the morning of the 6th i began to explore the first cataract of the stanley falls. i found a small stream about two hundred yards wide, separated by a lateral dyke of igneous rocks from the main stream, which took the boat safely down for a couple of miles. then presently other dykes appeared, some mere low, narrow ridges of rock, and others, much larger and producing tall trees, inhabited by the baswa tribe. among these islets the left stream rushed down in cascades or foamy sheets, over low terraces, with a fall of from one foot to ten feet. the baswas, no doubt, had recently fled to these islets to seek refuge from some powerful tribe situated inland west of the river.
"the main stream, nine hundred yards wide, rushed towards the east-northeast, and, after a mile of rapids, tilted itself against a hilly ridge that lay north and south, the crest of which was probably three hundred feet above the river. with my glass, from the fork of a tree twenty feet above the ground, i saw at once that a descent by the right side was an impossibility, as the waves were enormous, and the slope so great that the river's face was all a-foam; and that at the base of the hilly ridge which obstructed its course the river seemed piling itself into a watery bank, whence it escaped into a scene of indescribable confusion down to the horror of whirling pools and a mad confluence of tumbling, rushing waters.
"i decided, therefore, to go down along the left stream, overland, and to ascertain the best route i took eight men with me, leaving five to guard the boat. within two hours we had explored the jungle, and 'blazed' a path below the falls—a distance of two miles.
"then, returning to camp, i sent frank off with a detachment of fifty men with axes to clear the path, and a musket-armed guard of fifteen men, to be stationed in the woods parallel with the projected land route, and, leaving a guard of twenty men to protect the camp, i myself rowed up river along the left bank, a distance of three miles.
spear-head.
"by noon of the 7th, having descended with the canoes as near as prudence would permit to the first fall of the left stream, we were ready for hauling the canoes overland. a road, fifteen feet in width, had been cut through the tangle of rattan, palms, vines, creepers, and brushwood, tolerably straight except where great forest monarchs stood untouched, and whatever brushwood had been cut from the jungle had been laid across the road in thick piles. a rude camp had also been constructed half-way on the river side of the road, into which everything[pg 261]
[pg 262] was conveyed. by 8 p.m. we had hauled the canoes over one mile of ground.
the kooloo-kamba, or long eared soko.
"the next day, while the people were still fresh, we buckled on to the canoes, and by 3 p.m. of the 8th had passed the falls and rapids of the first cataract, and were afloat in a calm creek between baswa island and the left bank!
a baswa knife.
"not wishing to stay in such a dangerous locality longer than was absolutely necessary, we re-embarked, and, descending cautiously down the creek, came in a short time to the great river, with every prospect of a good stretch of serene water. but soon we heard the roar of another cataract, and had to hug the left bank closely. then we entered other creeks, which wound lazily by jungle-covered islets, and, after two miles of meanderings among most dismal islands and banks, emerged in view of the great river, with the cataract's roar sounding solemnly and terribly near. as it was near evening, and our position was extremely unpleasant, we resolved to camp for the night at an island which lay in mid-stream. the inhabitants fled as we approached.
style of knives.
"during the morning of the 9th we explored the island of cheandoah, where we were encamped, and found it much longer than we at first supposed. it was extremely populous, and contained five villages. we discovered an abundance of spears here and iron-ware of all kinds used by the natives, such as knives, hammers, hatchets, tweezers, anvils of iron, or, in other words, inverted hammers, borers, pole-burners, fish-hooks, darts, iron rods; all the spears possessed broad points, and were the first of this style i had seen. almost all the knives, large and small, were encased in sheaths of wood covered with goat-skin, and ornamented with polished iron bands. they varied in size, from a butcher's cleaver to a lady's dirk, and belts of undressed goat-skin, of red buffalo or antelope hide, were attached to them for suspension from the shoulders. there were also iron bells, like our cow and goat bells, curiously carved whistles, fetiches or idols of wood, uncouth and rudely cut figures of human beings, brightly painted in vermilion, alternating with black; baskets made of palm fibre, large wooden and dark clay pipes, iron rings for arms and legs, numerous treasures of necklaces of the achatina monetaria, the black seeds of a species of plantain, and the crimson berries of the abrus precatorius; copper, iron, and wooden pellets. the houses were all of the gable-roofed pattern, which we had first noticed on the summit of the hills on which riba-riba, manyema, is situate; the shields of the baswa were also after the same type.
baswa basket and cover.
"the vegetation of the island consisted of almost every variety of plant and tree found in this region, and the banana, plantain, castor-bean, sugar-cane, cassava, and maize flourished; nor must the oil-palm be forgotten, for there were great jars of its dark-red butter in many houses."
[pg 263]
shooting a crocodile at the rapids.
[pg 264]
"the natives on the mainland," said fred, raising his eyes from the book for a few moments, "opposed the explorers, and a sharp fight followed, with the same result as at the first cataract. the boats were dragged overland around the worst of the falls, and then lowered through the last rapid by means of ropes. this rapid was separated by an islet from a steep fall which was impassable by the boats. a canoe was swept over this fall and one of its crew drowned; the rest were rescued by frank pocock and some of the land party who were below the fall.
cavern near stanley falls.
"just before the boat made its leap over the fall, zaidi, its captain, sprang into the water and caught upon a rock where he clung until mr. stanley devised and executed a plan for his rescue. strong cables were made from rattans cut in the forest; two cables were attached to a canoe, one at its bow and the other at the stern, and then the canoe, manned by uledi, the coxswain of the lady alice, and a youth named marzouk, was lowered carefully down the current until the unhappy man was reached. it was a position of great peril, and the rescue of the poor fellow was due to the skill of the leader of the expedition and the bravery of uledi and marzouk.
the desperate situation of zaidi, and his rescue by uledi, the coxswain of the boat.
"seven cataracts in all were passed," said fred, "some of them by lowering the boats through rapids and others by cutting roads through the forest and dragging the craft overland. some of the natives along the route were peaceable, but the majority of the tribes and villages were hostile. mr. stanley always exhausted all possible efforts at peace,[pg 265]
[pg 266] and never fought them until the natives themselves struck the first blow. a short battle was usually sufficient to convince the savages of the futility of opposition. at one place a strong net was drawn around the camp by the natives during the night, in the same manner that nets are drawn for hunting game in various parts of africa. but the savages found that the plan so effective against wild animals did not work well against the expedition, as the net was cut to pieces by those whom it enclosed.
the seventh cataract, stanley falls.
"the passage of the cataracts and rapids which comprise the stanley falls occupied twenty-two days. at the seventh cataract there was a fish-weir, and mr. stanley made drawings of several fishes that were caught there. below stanley falls the river spread out again and presented no obstacles to navigation until stanley pool was reached, a distance of several hundred miles.
[pg 267]
[pg 268]
pike—stanley falls.
"and now," said fred, "you shall hear from mr. stanley about this part of the great river:
an african suspension bridge.
"we hastened away down river in a hurry, to escape the noise of the cataracts which, for many days and nights, had almost stunned us with their deafening sound.
"the livingstone now deflected to the west-northwest, between hilly banks—
"'where highest woods, impenetrable
to star, or sunlight, spread their umbrage broad
and brown as evening.'
fish—seventh cataract, stanley falls.
28 inches long; 16 inches round body; round snout; no teeth; broad tail; large scales; color, pale brown.
"we are once again afloat upon a magnificent stream, whose broad and gray-brown waters woo us with their mystery. we are not a whit dejected after our terrible experiences; we find our reward in being alive to look upon wild nature, and a strange elasticity comes over us. the boat-boys amuse me by singing their most animating song, to which every member of our expedition responds with enthusiasm. the men, women, and children are roused to maintain that reckless, exuberant spirit which assisted me to drive through the cannibal region of the stanley falls, for otherwise they might lose that dash and vigor on which depends our success. they are apt, if permitted thinking-time, to brood upon our situation, to become disquieted and melancholy, to reflect on the fate of those who have already been lost, and to anticipate a like dolorous ending to their own lives.
baswa palm-oil jar and palm-wine cooler.
"at noon, on the 29th, when approaching a large village, we were again assaulted by the aborigines. we drove them back, and obtained a peaceful passage past them, until 1 p.m. from 1 p.m. we were engaged with a new tribe, which possessed[pg 269] very large villages, and maintained a running fight with us until 4 p.m., when, observing the large village of ituka below us, and several canoes cutting across river to head us off, we resolved to make our stand on the shore. material for constructing a boma was soon discovered in the outlying houses of the village, and by five o'clock we were tolerably secure on the edge of the steep banks—all obstructions cleared away on the land side, and a perfect view of the river front and shore below us.
mouth of drum.
"the savages were hideously bepainted for war, one half of their bodies being white, the other ochreous. their shields were oblong squares, beautifully made of rattan-cane, light, tough, and, to spears and knives, impenetrable. a square slab of ebony wood with a cleat, and one long thin board placed lengthways, and another crossways, sufficed to stiffen them. shouting their war-cries—'ya-mariwa! ya-mariwa!'—they rushed on our boma fences like a herd of buffaloes several times, in one of which charges muftah rufiji was killed, and another man received a wound from a spear, which glanced along his back. as the heavy spears hurtled through the boma, or flew over it, very many of us had extremely narrow escapes. frank, for instance, avoided one by giving his body a slight jerk on one side. we, of course, had the advantage, being protected by doors, roofs of houses, poles, brushwood, and our great mwana ntaba shields, which had been of invaluable use to us, and had often in the heat of fights saved us and made us almost invulnerable.
wooden signal-drum of the wenya, or wagenya, and the tribes on the livingstone.
"from the ruiki river up to this afternoon of the 29th of january we had fought twenty-four times, and out of these struggles we had obtained sixty-five doorlike shields, which upon the commencement of a fight on the river at all times had been raised by the women, children, and non-combatants as bulwarks before the riflemen, from behind which, cool and confident, the forty-three guns were of more avail than though there were one hundred and fifty riflemen unprotected. the steersmen, likewise protected, were enabled to steer their vessels with the current while we were engaged in these running fights. against the spears and arrows the shields were impervious.
drumsticks, knobs being of india-rubber.
"about ten o'clock of the 30th another conflict began, in the usual way, by a determined assault on us in canoes. by charging under cover of our shields we captured one canoe and eight men, and withdrew to a low grassy islet opposite yangambi, a settlement consisting of five populous villages. we had discovered by this that nothing cowed the natives so much as a capture, and as it was the most bloodless mode of settling what might have been a protracted affair, i had[pg 270] adopted it. through our captives we were enabled to negotiate for an unmolested passage, though it involved delay and an expenditure of lung force that was very trying; still, as it ended satisfactorily in many ways, it was preferable to continued fighting. it also increased our opportunities of knowing who our antagonists were, and to begin an acquaintance with these long-buried peoples.
shields of ituka people.
"when the natives observed us preparing to halt on the grassy islet directly opposite their villages, with their unfortunate friends in our power, they withdrew to their villages to consult. the distance between our grassy islet and the right bank was only five hundred yards, and, as it was the eastern bank, the sun shone direct on them, enabling me, with the aid of a field-glass, to perceive even the differences of feature between one man and another.
fish—stanley falls.
fine scales; weight, 23 lbs.; thick, broad snout; 26 small teeth in upper jaw, 23 teeth in lower jaw; broad tongue; head, 11 inches long.
"we placed our captives in their canoe, and, giving each a few shells, motioned them to depart. as the warriors on the bank saw their friends return, they all gathered round the landing-place, and, as they landed, asked scores of questions, the replies to which elicited loud grunts of approval and wonder. the drumming gradually ceased, the war-cries were heard no more, the people left their processions to crowd round their countrymen, and the enormous spear-blades no longer flashed their brightness on us. we waited about an hour, and, taking it for granted that after such a signal instance of magnanimity they would not resume their hostile demeanor, we quietly embarked, and glided down river unopposed.
"at a little after noon, on february 1st, we were attacked by a larger force of canoes than on any previous occasion. we were passing the mouth of the aruwimi river, where there was a great concourse of canoes hovering about some islets which stud the middle of the stream. the canoe-men, standing up, give a loud shout as they discern us, and blow their horns louder than ever. we pull briskly on to gain the right bank, when, looking up stream, we see a sight that sends the blood tingling through every nerve and fibre of the body, arouses not only our most lively interest, but also our most lively apprehensions—a flotilla of gigantic canoes bearing down upon us, which both in size and numbers utterly eclipse anything encountered hitherto! instead of aiming for the right bank, we form in line, and keep straight down river, the boat taking position behind. yet after a[pg 271] moment's reflection, as i note the numbers of the savages, and the daring manner of the pursuit, and the apparent desire of our canoes to abandon the steady, compact line, i give the order to drop anchor. four of our canoes affect not to listen, until i chase them, and threaten them with my guns. this compelled them to return to the line, which is formed of eleven double canoes, anchored ten yards apart. the boat moves up to the front, and takes position fifty yards above them. the shields are next lifted by the non-combatants, men, women, and children, in the bows and along the outer lines, as well as astern, and from behind these the muskets and rifles are aimed.
"we have sufficient time to take a view of the mighty force bearing down on us, and to count the number of the war-vessels which have been collected from the livingstone and its great affluent. there are fifty-four of them! a monster canoe leads the way, with two rows of upstanding paddles, forty men on a side, their bodies bending and swaying in unison as with a swelling barbarous chorus they drive her down towards us. in the bow, standing on what appears to be a platform, are ten prime young warriors, their heads gay with feathers of the parrot, crimson and gray; at the stern, eight men, with long paddles, whose tops are decorated with ivory balls, guide the monster vessel; and dancing up and down from stem to stern are ten men, who appear to be chiefs. all the paddles are headed with ivory balls, every head bears a feather crown, every arm shows gleaming white ivory armlets. from the bow of the canoe streams a thick fringe of the long white fibre of the hyphene palm. the crashing sound of large drums, a hundred blasts from ivory horns, and a thrilling chant from two thousand human throats, do not tend to soothe our nerves or to increase our confidence. however, it is 'neck or nothing.' we have no time to pray, or to take sentimental looks at the savage world, or even to breathe a sad farewell to it. so many other things have to be done speedily and well.
"as the foremost canoe comes rushing down, its consorts on either side beating the water into foam and raising their jets of water with their sharp prows, i turn to take a last look at our people, and say to them:
"'boys, be firm as iron; wait until you see the first spear, and then take good aim. don't fire all at once. keep aiming until you are sure of your man. don't think of running away, for only your guns can save you.'
"frank is with the ocean on the right flank, and has a choice crew, and a good bulwark of black wooden shields. manwa sera has the london town—which he has taken in charge instead of the glasgow—on the left flank, the sides of the canoe bristling with guns, in the hands of tolerably steady men.
monster canoe.
"the monster canoe aims straight for my boat, as though it would run us down; but, when within fifty yards off, swerves aside, and, when nearly opposite, the warriors above the manned prow let fly their spears, and on either side there is a noise of rushing bodies. but every sound is soon lost in the ripping, crackling musketry. for five minutes we are so absorbed in firing that we take no[pg 272] note of anything else; but at the end of that time we are made aware that the enemy is re-forming about two hundred yards above us.
"our blood is up now. it is a murderous world, and we feel for the first time that we hate the filthy, vulturous ghouls who inhabit it. we therefore lift our anchors, and pursue them up-stream along the right bank, until, rounding a point, we see their villages. we make straight for the banks, and continue the fight in the village streets with those who have landed, hunt them out into the woods, and there only sound the retreat, having returned the daring cannibals the compliment of a visit.
"while mustering my people for re-embarkation, one of the men came forward and said that in the principal village there was a 'meskiti,' a 'pembé'—a church, or temple—of ivory, and that ivory was 'as abundant as fuel.' in a few moments i stood before the ivory temple, which was merely a large circular roof supported by thirty-three tusks of ivory, erected over an idol four feet high, painted with camwood dye a bright vermilion, with black eyes and beard and hair. the figure was very rude, still it was an unmistakable likeness of a man. the tusks being wanted by the wangwana, they received permission to convey them into the canoes. one hundred other pieces of ivory were collected, in the shape of log wedges, long ivory war-horns, ivory pestles to pound cassava into meal, and herbs for spinach, ivory armlets and balls, and ivory mallets to beat the fig-bark into cloth.
native spade.
"the stores of beautifully carved paddles, ten feet in length, some of which were iron-pointed, the enormous six-feet-long spears, which were designed more for ornament than use, the splendid long knives, like persian kummars, and bright iron-mounted sheaths with broad belts of red buffalo and antelope hide, barbed spears, from the light assegai to the heavy double-handed sword-spear, the tweezers, hammers, prickers, hole-burners, hairpins, fish-hooks, hammers, arm and leg-rings of iron and copper, iron beads and wrist-bands, iron bells, axes, war-hatchets, adzes, hoes, dibbers, etc., proved the people on the banks of this river to be clever, intelligent, and more advanced in the arts than any hitherto observed since we commenced our descent of the livingstone. the architecture of their huts, however, was the same, except the conical structure they had erected over their idol. their canoes were much larger than those of the mwana ntaba, above the stanley falls, which had crocodiles and lizards carved on them. their skull-caps of basket-work, leopard, civet, and monkey skins, were similar to those that we had observed in uregga. their shields were like those of the wariwa.[pg 273]
[pg 274] there were various specimens of african wood-carving in great and small idols, stools of ingenious pattern, double benches, walk-staffs, spear-staffs, paddles, flutes, grain-mortars, mallets, drums, clubs, troughs, scoops and canoe-balers, paddles, porridge-spoons, etc. gourds also exhibited taste in ornamentation. their earthenware was very superior, their pipes of an unusual pattern—in short, everything that is of use to a well-found african village exhibited remarkable intelligence and prosperity.
the fight below the confluence of the aruwimi and the livingstone rivers.
"evidences of cannibalism were numerous in the human and 'soko' skulls that grinned on many poles, and the bones that were freely scattered in the neighborhood, near the village garbage heaps and the river banks, where one might suppose hungry canoe-men to have enjoyed a cold collation on an ancient matron's arm. as the most positive and downright evidence, in my opinion, of this hideous practice, was the thin forearm of a person that was picked up near a fire, with certain scorched ribs which might have been tossed into the fire after being gnawed. it is true that it is but circumstantial evidence, yet we accepted them as indubitable proofs. besides, we had been taunted with remarks that we would furnish them with meat supplies—for the words meat and to-day have but slight dialectic difference in many languages.
spear, isangi.
"we embarked in our canoes at 5 p.m., and, descending the affluent, came to the confluence again, and then, hugging the right bank, appeared before other villages; but after our successful resistance to such a confederation of chiefs and the combined strength of three or four different tribes, it was not likely that one small settlement would risk an encounter. for several days after this battle we had little opposition. we avoided the villages as much as possible, and by the 8th of february we were entirely out of provisions. on the 9th we camped on a grassy islet in front of a village called rubunga, where, after a great deal of parleying, we bought a plentiful supply of bananas and other food. we made brotherhood with the chief, and had no trouble during our stay.
knives, rubunga.
"the people of rubunga carry knives which are singular specimens of the african smith's art, being principally of a waving sickle-shaped pattern, while the principal men carried brass-handled weapons, eighteen inches long, double-edged, and rather wide-pointed, with two blood channels along the centre of the broad[pg 275] blade, while near the hilt the blade was pierced by two quarter-circular holes, while the top of the haft was ornamented with the fur of the otter.
"the aborigines dress their hair with an art peculiar to the warua and waguha, which consists in wearing it in tufts on the back of the head, and fastening it with elegantly shaped iron hairpins—a fashion which also obtains among many kitchen maids in england. tattooing is carried to excess, every portion of the skin bearing punctured marks, from the roots of the hair down to the knees. their breasts are like hieroglyphic parchment charts, marked with raised figures, ledges, squares, circles, wavy lines, tuberose knots, rosettes, and every conceivable design. no coloring substance had been introduced into these incisions and punctures; the cuticle had simply been tortured and irritated by the injection of some irritants or air. indeed, some of the glossy tubercles, which contained air, were as large as hens' eggs. as many as six thin ledges marked the foreheads from temple to temple, as many ran down each cheek, while from lower eyelid to base of septum curved wavy lines; the chin showed rosettes, the neck seemed goitrous with the large vesicular protuberances, while the front parts of their bodies afforded broad fields upon which the native artist had displayed the exuberant fertility of his genius. to such an extent is this fashion carried that the people are hideously deformed, many of them having quite unnatural features and necks.
rings for protecting the arm.
"to add to the atrocious bad taste of these aborigines, their necklaces consisted of human, gorilla, and crocodile teeth, in such quantity in many cases that little or nothing could be seen of the neck. a few possessed polished boars' tusks, with the points made to meet from each side.
"the most curious objects we discovered at rubunga were four ancient portuguese muskets, at the sight of which the people of the expedition raised a glad shout. these appeared to them certain signs that we had not lost the road, that[pg 276] the great river did really reach the sea, and that their master was not deluding them when he told them that some day they would see the sea.
"in reply to our questions as to where they had obtained them, they said from men in canoes from bankaro, bangaro, mangara, or, as the word finally settled down, from mangala, who came once a year to buy ivory. these traders were black men, and they had never heard of white men or of arabs."
"we will now," said fred, "leave you to pass the night among the people of rubunga, who seem friendly enough to warrant my trusting you with them." the eager listeners took the hint thus conveyed and there was a concerted movement towards the doorway.
[pg 277]
rubunga blacksmiths.
