United States or France ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Previous to our departure on the morning after this, Maganga, chief of the fourth caravan, brought me the unhappy report that three of his pagazis were sick, and he would like to have some "dowa" medicine.
They looked at me intently for a few seconds, and then at each other, which ended in an uncontrollable burst of laughter, and repeated snappings of the fingers. They spoke the Kinyamwezi language, and my interpreter Maganga was requested to inform the chief of the great delight I felt in seeing them.
On approaching a village the temper of whose people might be hostile to us, Maganga would commence his song, with the entire party joining in the chorus, by which mode we knew whether the natives were disposed to be friendly or hostile.
Ferajji sided with Baraka against Bombay in Unyoro, and when Speke took Bombay's side of the question, Ferajji, out of love for Baraka, left Speke's service, and so forfeited his pay. Maganga was a Mnyamwezi, a native of Mkwenkwe, a strong, faithful servant, an excellent pagazi, with an irreproachable temper.
The men seemed to feel they were worth seeing, for I noticed that several assumed a more martial tread as they felt their royal Joho cloth tugging at their necks, as it was swept streaming behind by the wind. Maganga, a tall Mnyamwezi, stalked along like a very Goliah about to give battle alone, to Mirambo and his thousand warriors.
In an hour and a half, we arrived at our camp in the Kinyamwezi village of Mkwenkwe, the birthplace of our famous chanter Maganga. My tent was pitched, the goods were stored in one of the tembes; but one-half the men had returned to Kwihara, to take one more embrace of their wives and concubines. Towards night I was attacked once again with the intermittent fever.
Kombo, ditto. Saburi the Great, Maroro. Saburi the Little, ditto. Marora, ditto. Mabruk Saleem, Zanzibar. Baraka, ditto. Ibrahim, Maroro. Mabruk Ferous, ditto. Baruti, Bagamoyo. Umgareza, Zanzibar. Asmani, ditto, ditto. Mabruk, ditto ditto. Jumah, Zanzibar. Maganga, Mkwenkwe. Muccadum, Tabora. Dasturi, ditto. Tumayona, Ujiji. Mparamoto, Ujiji. Wakiri, ditto. Mufu, ditto. Mpepo, ditto.
The distance from Bagamoyo to Simbamwenni we found to be 119 miles, and was accomplished in fourteen marches. But these marches, owing to difficulties arising from the Masika season, and more especially to the lagging of the fourth caravan under Maganga, extended to twenty-nine days, thus rendering our progress very slow indeed but a little more than four miles a-day.
At Muhalleh was the fourth caravan under Maganga with three more sick men, who turned with eager eyes to myself, "the dispenser of medicine," as I approached. Salvos of small arms greeted me, and a present of rice and ears of Indian corn for roasting were awaiting my acceptance; but, as I told Maganga, I would have preferred to hear that his party were eight or ten marches ahead.
The man himself seemed to regard the pistol with the greatest awe, and after a few desperate efforts succeeded in getting the box safely ashore. As the articles within were not damaged, Rojab escaped punishment, with a caution not to touch the bog again on any account, and it was transferred to the keeping of the sure-footed and perfect pagazi, Maganga.
Word Of The Day