M e anw h ile , fo llow in g th e e x am p le o f C r aw sh aw , wh o
k n ew th e C om p a n y ’s w a y s , I w a s in s ta lle d a sh o re u n d e r
m y ten t, h o r r ib ly ill. I co u ld e a t n o th in g w ith o u t th e
m o s t v io le n t p a in s in th e s tom a ch an d lo in s ; e v en a
lit t le so u p c a u se d to rm en ts . A d d to th a t fe v e r, b ilio u s
diarrhoea, an d ir re s is t ib le som n o len c e a ft e r e a t in g , an d it
w ill b e u n d e r s to o d th a t th e w e e k ’s d e la y w a s a m ad d e n in g
on e. I m u s t h a v e b e en p o iso n ed b y th e p o t te d lo b s te r
th a t th e y g a v e u s fo r b r e a k f a s t— w h y sh o u ld p o tted
lo b s te r p u rsu e on e in to th e w ild s o f A f r ic a ?—-but, a fte r a ll,
m y s ta te w a s e x a c t ly w h a t it h a d b e en a t H o p e F o u n ta in
a y e a r be fo re . I sp e n t m y tim e p o n d e r in g a p a s s a g e o f
L ie u t . Y o u n g ’s Mission to Nyasa, o f w h ich I n ow b e g a n to
re a liz e th e fu ll tru th . “ I k n ow n o th in g in A f r ic a n t r a v e l,”
h e s a y s , “ so l ik e ly to b r e a k a m an d ow n a s h a v in g to
rem a in id le on on e sp o t. I t m a y b e s a id , B u t w h y
b e id le ? R e a d e r , w e re y o u e v e r th e v ic t im o f n ig h tm a r e ?
I f so, p e rh a p s y o u c an u n d e r s tan d m e b e t te r w h en I p u t
th e c a s e thus. T h e e ffe c t o f fe v e r p o iso n is to m a k e
y o u la n g u id an d in d isp o se d to b e s t ir y o u r s e lf. E x c i t e m
en t w ill o p e ra te b e n e fic ia lly u p o n y o u ; b u t i f y o u h a v e
to liv e in a h u t w e e k in an d w e e k ou t, g a z in g a h u n d red
t im e s a d a y u p a la r g e re a ch o f r iv e r fo r th e e x p e c te d
a p p e a r a n c e o f a s a il— a n x io u s n o t to b e to o fa r aw a y
w h en th e c o n sum m a te m om en t a r r iv e sB - y o u d o n o t c a re
to e x e r t y o u r s e lf .”
S o fa r a s I w a s c o n c e rn ed I w a s a lw a y s a s k in g m y s e lf,
“ W h a t is th e u s e ? w h y n o t re tu rn to E u r o p e a t o n c e ? ”
B u t I a lw a y s s a v e d m y s e l f w ith m y u su a l re fle c tion th a t
it w o u ld b e a p it y n o t to g o on to T a n g a n ik a , h a v in g
c om e so far. H a v in g g o t th e re , o f co u r s e I w a n te d to
g o on fu r th e r ; an d I su p p o s e I h a v e o n ly to th a n k th e
M a h d i an d h is su c c e s so r th a t I d id n o t t r y to em e rg e in to
c iv iliz a tio n a t C a iro in s te a d o f Z a n z ib a r .
S o I sp e n t m y d a y s b e tw e e n b e in g a lit t le b e t te r an d
b e in g a g o o d d e a l w o rse , b u y in g a few sh ie ld s an d a s s e g a is
from a n um b e r o f A n g o n i (th e Z u lu tr ib e s e t tle d w e s t o f
282
L a k e N y a s a , who p a s s e d on th e ir w a y to B la n t y r e to
g e t w o rk ) an d from b a n d s o f A to n g a , w h o w e re co n t in u a
l ly p a s s in g w ith p r iso n e r s from L iw o n d e up th e r i v e r ;
an d a s k in g m y s e lf, a s I w o k e e a ch m o rn in g an d s aw th e
Domira ly in g p la c id ly in th e s an d b e fo re me, w h y th e y
d o n o t u se e le p h an t s fo r d ra u g h t h e re a s th e y d o in In d ia .
A t la s t, on A p r il 7 th , th a n k s to th e A n g o n i, w h o s e se rv ic e s
w e h ad th e g r e a t e s t d iffic u lty in p e r su a d in g th e c a p ta in
to em p lo y , th e s te am e r w a s g o t a flo a t, an d w e s ta r ted
a g a in .
T h e A n g o n i a re n o t su ch a fine s e t o f men a s the
M a ta b e le , th e re a so n b e in g th a t, lik e a ll Z u lu tr ib e s , th e y
in t e rm a r r y w ith th e w om en th e y c ap tu re , so th a t th e y
rem a in Z u lu b u t in n am e an d t r a d it io n ; p h y s ic a l ly th e y a re
c lo s e r a llie d to th e S e n g a th an to th e Z u lu race. T h e ir
c o s tum e an d w e a p o n s a re s im ila r to th o se o f th e M a t a b
e le : th e y w e a r c a t an d m o n k e y s k in s ro u n d th e w a i s t ;
th e y c a r r y o x -h id e sh ie ld s o f th e s am e s iz e an d m a k e a s
th e M a t a b e le ; th e ir k n o b k e r r ie s a lso a re s im i l a r ; th e ir
sp e a r s a lo n e d iffe r, b e in g sm a lle r an d lig h te r , an d used
a s th row in g -sp e a r s .
W e h a d h a rd ly b e en g o in g ten m in u te s w h en w e
b um p ed a g a in s t a su bm e rg ed t ru n k an d sm a sh ed on e o f
th e b la d e s o f th e sc rew . A lit t le fu rth e r u p w e c am e to
th e ra p id s , c a lle d “ T h e S to n e s ,” an d th e re w e ran s t r a ig h t
a g ro u n d on to th e ro ck s . B o a t s h ad to -b e s e n t fo r on ce
m o re from F o r t Jo h n s to n , an d th is m e a n t a g a in d a y s o f
w a it in g , a s a ll th e c a rg o h ad to b e sh ifted in to sm a ll
b o a t s b e fo re w e c o u ld m o v e on. T w o d a y s I tr ied to
am u s e m y s e l f b y g o in g to F o r t L iw o n d e an d b a c k ; b y
th e th ird th e Domira w a s a flo a t a g a in , an d th en an o th e r
d a y w a s lo s t in c u t t in g wo od . P a r t o f th e c a rg o w en t u p
in b o a t s to F o r t Jo h n s to n , th e s e b o a t s h a v in g to com e
b a c k fo r th e o th e r h a lf. T h e c a p ta in in fo rm ed u s th a t
a fte r le a v in g F o r t Jo h n s to n w e sh o u ld h a v e to s t a y a few
d a y s a t M o n k e y B a y to ch an g e th e b ro k en sc rew . O n
th e w h ole , th e re se em ed ju s t a ch an c e th a t w e sh o u ld g e t
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