Great African Travellers: From Mungo Park to Livingstone and Stanley

by William Henry Giles Kingston

The Governor of Bombay had given Dr Livingstone permission to take twelve Sepoys, who, being provided with Enfield rifles, were to act as guards to the expedition. He had brought nine men from Johanna, and these, with seven liberated slaves and two Zambesi men, making thirty in all, formed his attendants, and were considered sufficient to enable him to pass through the country without having to fear any marauding attacks from the natives.

Leaving Zanzibar in March, 1866, he landed in a bay to the north of the mouth of the Rovuma River, early in the following month.

On the 7th of April he began his journey into the interior, moving along the left bank of the river. His baggage consisted of bales of cloth and bags of beads, with which to enable him to purchase food and pay tribute to the chiefs through whose territories he might pass. He had, besides, his chronometer, sextant, artificial horizon, and thermometers carried in cases, as also medicines, and the necessary clothing and other articles for himself. To carry the luggage he had also brought six camels, three horses, two mules, and three donkeys.

The route he had chosen was beset with difficulties. For miles on the bank of the river he found the country covered with dense jungle, through which the axe was required to hew a way. There was, indeed, a path which twisted and turned about in every direction, formed by the natives, sufficient for the passage of persons unencumbered by luggage, but which it was found the camels could not possibly pass along, unless the branches overhead were first cut down.

Greatly to his disappointment the Sepoys and Johanna men, unaccustomed to such sort of labour, showed from the first a great dislike to be employed in it, and, soon after they started, they began to use every means in their power to ruin the expedition, in order to compel their leader to return to the coast. So cruelly did they neglect and ill treat the unfortunate camels and other animals, that in a short time they all died. The doctor, however, obtained natives to carry on the loads. They then tried to prejudice him in the minds of the natives by bringing all sorts of false accusations against him. They likewise behaved ill in a variety of other ways. To lighten their own shoulders, they laid hands on any woman or boy they could find, and compelled them to carry their arms and ammunition. Frequently also, after marching a short distance, they would throw themselves down on the ground, declaring that they were too much fatigued to move, and refused to advance, often not making their appearance till the camp was formed in the evening.

The doctor, feeling that even should he be attacked, they would probably desert him, at length dismissed the whole of the Sepoys, and, providing them with provisions, sent them back to the coast.

For several days together he and his remaining men travelled through an uninhabited wilderness, and, being unable to obtain food, they suffered much from hunger, while several of the men deserted. Reaching, however, the village of a Wahiyou chief, situated on high ground above Lake Nyassa, their wants were supplied.

Early next month he arrived at the village of another chief, named Mpende, near the shore of Lake Nyassa. Here one of his attendants, in whom he thought he could place confidence, and whom he had liberated from slavery, insisted on leaving him, making various excuses for doing so. He also tried to induce another youth, named Chumah, to desert; but the latter coming to the doctor, who suspected that he would only be made a slave of, persuaded him to remain.

The next halt was made at the residence of a Babisa chief, who was suffering from sickness; and here the doctor remained till he had seen him restored to health.

While at this place an Arab arrived, and declared that he had escaped from a marauding band of Mazitu, who had plundered him of his property. He so worked on Musa, the captain of the Johanna men, who pretended to believe his account, that Musa entreated the doctor to return; but when the Babisa chief denounced the Arab as an impostor, Musa confessed that his great object was to get back to his family at Johanna.