5 4 THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. [ Ju’y ,2< l876- |
I MounfeMurumbi. j
during three months’ rain to' a height of 8 to
10, sometimes 15, feet. In May these grasses
become sere, and by June are as dry as tinder.
The smallest spark suffices to set them in a
flame, and the noise of two brigades of infantry
fighting would hardly exceed the terrible rack,
crackle, and explosions made by the onrush of
the wind-swept element. It devours everything
that stands before it, and roasts the surface of
the ground, leaving it parched, blackened, and
fissured.
Though' the mountains of Marungu are steep,
rugged, and craggy, the district is surprisingly
populous. Through the chasms and great canons
with which the mountains are sometimes cleft,
we saw the summits of other high mountains,
fully 2500 feet above the lake, occupied by
villages, the inhabitants of which, from the inaccessibility
of the position they had selected,
were evidently harassed by some more powerful
tribes to the westward.
The neighbourhood of Zongweh Cape is specially
distinguished for its lofty cones and great
mountain masses. Mount Murumbi, 2000 feet
above the lake, near Muri-Kiassi Cape, is a
striking feature of the coast of Marungu.
The wooded slopes and dense forest growths
which fill the gorges are haunts of what the
Wangwana call “ Soko,” a distinctive title they
have given either to gorillas or chimpanzees. I
rjuly 13, 1876.-] h a u n t s o f “ s o k o s . ”
L Mompara. J
heard the voices of several at Lunangwa river,
but as they were at a considerable distance
from me, I could not distinguish any great
difference between the noise they created and
that which a number of villagers might make
while quarrelling.
The Rubuko, or Lofuko, a considerable river,
divides Marungu from Tembwe. On the south
side of the river is Mompara, or, for short, Para,
remarkable as being the place whereat Livingstone
embarked in canoes, February 1869, to
proceed to Ujiji for the first, time (‘Last Journals,’
vol. ii.):—
“ 14/A February 1869. — Arrived at Tanganika. Parra is
the name of the land at the confluence of the river Lofuko.”
The chief of the Para village is patronized by
Jumah Merikani, who, while he is absent in
Rua collecting slaves and ivory, entrusts his
canoes to the chiefs charge, from which it
appears that the latter is a trustworthy man.
Formerly Sheikh Sayid bin Habib honoured him
with the same confidence.
Four hours’ sail brought us to the wooded
headlands, of Tembwe, the most projecting of
which is about twenty-five miles from Makokomo
Island, in the Bay of Kirando, on the east coast
of the lake.
Near this point is seen a lofty range, rising
a few miles from the lake in an irregular line of
peaks, which, as it is depressed towards the