A Journey in East Africa towards the Mountains of the Moon ... New edition

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A JOUENEY IN EAST AEEICA A JOFRNEY IN EAST AFRICA TOAVAKDS THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON hy M. A. PRINGLE A NEAV EDITION WILLIAM BLACK WOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCLXXXVI PEEFACE TO NEW EDITION. In the Preface to the original edition, I have said that this journey in East Africa was made for the purpose of aiding a Christian mission, and the publication of the narrative Avas afterwards resohTed upon at the instance of Mrs Pringle's friends. But I may add that the preArailing motive for the publication Avas really much the same as that for the journey,— the purpose being to help in drawing attention to missionary enterprises among readers Avho ma}7 or may not have had their thoughts particularly attracted towards these al ready, but who, at all events, are not indisposed to sympathise in them. At the same time, though we made the journey at our own expense, we have aimed at being fully reimbursed for the cost of publication. The price,

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TO NEAV EDITION. II therefore, of this book when first published was fixed comparatively high, because we could not then foresee how many copies might be purchased ; but now that we see our way to issuing a cheaper edition, Ave accordingly do so. Several recent books of travel, which are more ably written, and altogether more entertaining than this one, have in like manner been taking notice of mission work. We think the more this is done the better, and that it would be a still more hopeful sign of the times, if occasionally mission work should come to be noticed and discussed by the public, just as temporal concerns are. I observe that in temporal concerns which the public acknowledge as being of any interest at all, they, as the employers of work, find often as much to say as the employed, and are seldom content with merely paying the employed to Avrite in magazines about themselves.

Possibly some of the habitual supporters of missions may think that, in the course of this narra tive, the prospects of missionary success are not depicted in a light so encouraging as they would have expected. Certainly no attempt whatever has been made to produce a highh-'-coloured picture

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TO NEW EDITION. III of them. The authoress simply presupposes that the reader will sympathise in AA7hatever is interesting to herself. But there is nothing in AAdiat she has had occasion to relate that either she or I can easily conceive to be discouraging. The public read without much discouragement of the difficulties that attend geographical explora tions and military campaigns, and indeed expect obstacles to be encountered in almost every under taking, AA'hether at home or abroad. It would be strange, if true, that mission work should in any country be a kind of enterprise exceptionally free from embarrassments. We ourselves, for many reasons, prefer to read reports of missions which appear to tell us everything, rather than those which simply announce in general terms that all goes on smoothly, or that some agent, whose loss was irreparable, has retired, but has been replaced by another one who is also incomparable.

We fancy that persons who contribute towards mission funds will naturally Avish to know as fully as possible how their money is being spent ; and if they have any leisure to think, will try to think in what place and manner and by what persons it Avould be spent to most adArantage — unless, indeed,

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TO NEW EDITION. their donation or legacy be only a kind of con science-money, like the coin intended for Charon or the sop for Cerberus. No doubt investigation engenders criticism, and those who inquire particularly into this subject may perhaps find much that is not exactly to their own minds. They may object more or less to some of the doctrines that are being taught ; or may deem that Christianity is being presented in an aspect more acceptable or less acceptable than the truth demands ; or they may even find a missionary here and there who not merely preaches about the degeneracy of human nature, but proves it by his practice, somewhat more forcibly than the theme requires. Nay, some, I believe, doubt whether any blessed work can be done except by Christians whose natural temperament is like their own, and therefore intelligible to them.

But if such be the state of matters, let me just suggest this conclusion, — that eA7ery one should support those missions which are most to his own mind, aid others as opportunity occurs, and be very cautious as to hindering any. Let me also suggest this reflection. When the Gospel has become known through some means or other

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TO NEW EDITION. V among all nations, then we may look for the golden age as Ave are told. But Ave have not been told that just when we and our friends manage to make the age golden, then it Avill be the golden age, and only then. It may be that the Gospel will neA7er be accepted by all who hear about it, no matter how they hear ; and it may be that it Avill be accepted by very many for its own merits, or for such of its own merits as may be recognised by them, indepen dently of the force or beauty or blessedness of human preaching. ALEXR- PKINGLE. ERRATUM. The Rev. Horace Waller points out an error on page 291. It is there stated that " The Universities missionaries fre quently went up and down the river Ruo." It appears that they had only seen that river at two places, and had not even explored it fully.

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. When Mrs Pringle undertook to Avrite this little book of travel, it was with the idea that it might go forth without preface or introduction. But it appears, after all, to be necessary to explain in some measure the object of the journey, and I shall there fore endeavour to do this. In 1876, the Church of Scotland sent a mission to a spot in the interior of East Africa which is so far inaccessible that usually nothing can be learned regarding it except from the accounts of the mis sionaries themselves, as reported by those Avho cor respond with them. A few years later some rumours reached this country through passing travellers, to the effect 'that the relations between the mission aries and the natives AA7ere not quite satisfactory. Then the Committee of Management had to face a VI

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. the question whether or not there was any course open to them except to withdraAV the mission sum marily. Many of them Avere strongly averse to such a withdrawal, perhaps from a very reason able fear — quite apart from what some call " the interests" of the Church of Scotland — that the progress of Christian missions in general would be likely to suffer if any one mission were withdraAvn from a heathen and an outlandish country, at a time when the impression it would leave behind it might possibly be none of the best. The only alternatiA7e that could be thought of was to send some one immediately to inA7estigate matters, Avith a vieAV to their improvement, should that be necessary. The only person whose name could be readily suggested was a doctor of divinity living in a country parish who had been heard to say that he would like to visit this place in Africa.

It was feared that he was not physically adapted to stand hot and malarious climates; and besides, it Avas already (in July) somewhat too late in the season for a journey up the African rivers. Still it Avas hoped that, considering the emergency, he might be willing to prove a friend in need. In the course of a feAv hours a request for his

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. VII services Avas despatched to him by telegraph, and his consent received in like manner. Then there arose an apprehension that his health might very likely give way, and the object be thus frus trated. It was therefore deemed needful that he should be accompanied by some one else, and it Avas thought that a layman Avould be the most desirable comrade for him. When the chairman of the Committee told me this, I took an hour to ponder over the matter, although there was no time to be lost. I thousht first of each of the other laymen Avho Avere on the Committee, but concluded that not one of them could be in circumstances to be able to leave home on such a journey. However, so far as I could see, I thought I could go, and so I wrote offering to do so. The announcement of what I had done could not of course be anything less than startling to Mrs Pringle ; but I soon found that her chief anxiety was as to Avhether she could accompany me any part of the Avay.

The Committee, Avhen consulted, saw no objection to her going as far as might be practicable. Eventually, though no one had ex pected it, she went the whole way.

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. VIII Neither she nor I had the slightest thoughts at the time of publishing any account of this journey ; and afterwards when advised to do so, Ave Avere still for a long Avhile strongly averse, otherwise it might have been done much sooner. We Avere averse, in the first place, because this was no pleasure tour, and Ave never Avent the least out of our way to see things of general interest ; in the second place, because the main object Avas to dis coA7er Avhatever Avas Avrong — and if whatever Avas wrong was rectified, no good purpose could be served by commemorating it. On the other hand, our attention was very far from being exclusively occupied Avith matters of an uninviting nature ; and besides, Ave met with some incidents Avhich do not occur in the most ordinary course of traA7el, especially to ladies.

Indeed it is only a pity one cannot convey by description the sense of novelty that impresses every traveller during the first few days while ascending the Shir^ river. As he aAvakes to see the sun of each neAV morning struggling through the dense fog, he hears, not the crowing of the cock, but the green dove of Africa pouring forth the most extraordinary of notes — gurgling, yet

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. IX melodious — from among the palm-groves. It seems as if his misty Avay Avas taking him into lands more and more strange, and to incidents unfore seen ; and this expectation is usually quite realised before night. Even above the great swamps there is still some novelty and change of scene, although there the morningis ushered in Avith a sound that seems more familiar. It is a Ioav " hoo hoo-hoo-hoo," and then a splash, and then a sniff. Any one only half awake Avould think it was only some old gentleman in the dressing-room adjoin ing, though in truth it is a hippopotamus that is close by. However, Ave had no opportunity even of reach ing Lake Nyassa or the curious falls of the river Zambesi. Neither were wre elephant -stalkers or lion-killers. As the reader may already have inferred, we simply Avent to reside for a short period at one spot in the interior ; and there, although my principal business related to the missionaries, I naturally spent the greater part of my spare time in learning what I could concerning our native neighbours. The consequence is, that the subject upon which we are able to say most might be fitly described X

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. as a few weeks' experience of life among the natives. But Mrs Pringle's friends have often questioned her regarding this life in the wilds, and concluded by urging her to write an account of it, — and at length she has yielded to the request. I think the reader will agree that, for various reasons, and par ticularly in view of Avhat has been explained, the lady of the party Avas the best adapted for doing this. Hers Avas not a business errand in the com mon sense of the Avord, although she was leading none the less a busy life. Perhaps the title of this book requires a little explanation or apology. The " Mountains of the Moon " Avould never, I believe, have been heard of, except for the old geographer Ptolemy. His opin ion eAddently was, that they were someAvhere farther off than the Nile, but how far from the Cape of Good Hope he could not ha\Te told us.

In our OAvn day, Captain Speke has, through much ingenuity, come to the conclusion " that these highly saturated Mountains of the Moon give birth to the Congo as well as to the Nile, and also to the Shire branch of the ZambeseV' 1 The said mountains have been 1 Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile, p. 263.

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. XI placed by many old map-makers in or about that region, as well as in a variety of other mountain ous localities ; but I rather think they are now in the region of mythology. The thought of them first occurred to us Avhile looking at a copy, in my library, of Blaeu's Atlas, of date 1648, from which the portion in point has been copied for insertion in this volume. But the real object of mentioning these muchconfounded mountains by Avay of a title is to give the book an aspect on the very face of it — or on the very back of it, as the case may be — that will be likely to convey a warning hint ; because Ave fear lest some of our friends, conclud ing that it must be all about missions, should push it aside at first, but yet reserve it for Sunday reading, and then find it not come up to their ideas of fitness — which would be disap pointing.

I used to be always deterred from reading any books of African travel by the annoyance of seeing them replete with barbarous-looking names. Some, I know, only smile at this, because they think that as long as one does not read aloud, one need not be troubled in mind Avith any association of sound. But as others do not pick up words so purely by

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. sight, it may perhaps be worth while to tell what can be done Avith these names. As Africa has never produced any Cadmus of its oavu, it has remained for missionaries coming from various parts of Europe to reduce its languages to Avriting. Naturally their spelling is not always quite uniform, but they are trying to agree, just as the Cru saders tried Avhen they coined their lingua Franca. The letters m and n, coming before other con sonants, are said to be semi-vowels, — meaning that there is always some vowel used before or after, although it may be so short a one as not to be easily specified. It is, therefore, not necessary for our countrymen to produce that awkAvard noise they often do, Avith a risk of detriment to their sub-nasal organs. While correcting the press, I have been tempted to insert some apostrophes to prevent such catastrophes.

They are meant to show where the slight vowel-sound comes in. But in all other respects I have adhered loyally to the conventional usage which is most common. According to it, the letter g is used as in " go," and not as in " gem " ; ch is pronounced, not like k, but always as it is in " cherry "; s is kept distinct from z ; and all the other consonants are used very much as in English.

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. XIII The vowels, however, are employed, not as in English, but as they are in Italian, or I may say German Avithout umlauts, — viz., a, as it is represented in " far "; e, resembling ai in "fair," or e in "men"; i, being equivalent to ee in " feel," or i in " pin"; u to oo in " pool "; and ai to i, as in the pronoun " I." Now I think that I have nothing further to explain, but may perhaps be permitted to make a few observations in connection with the object that induced me to go to Africa (I mean the cause of Christian missions in general), for such readers as may think it will interest them to read these. Viewed as a mission-field, East Central Africa is in several respects peculiar. The natives have no religious belief that is directly opposed to Christi anity, like that of Hindus or Mohammedans.

They believe a good deal in common with Christians, and the rest of their creed relates to ghosts, Avitches, omens, amulets, incantations, and the like.1 It is, therefore, very easy for missionaries to gain a hear- 1 I was on the point of saying that they were not fetich-worship pers ; but as I have an impression that this would be treading on slippery ground, I had rather be less technical though less brief. Fetichism is usually applied to the practices of the Negro tribes in

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. ing, and, I may add, to teach ; although it is diffi cult enough to persuade. Further, these natives have a natural tendency to look upon white people with respect. Perhaps this respect has some basis in superstition. At all events, I believe that the missionary has himself to blame if he cannot obtain a Avelcome everyAvhere. He has a great prestige in his favour, and the question is not what he can do, North Africa, as distinguished from the Bantu tribes of Central and Southern Africa. However, Europeans appear to be gradually discovering that throughmit all Africa there is some belief in one omni present God, although at the same time there is a more marked recog nition of the existence and power of spirits that are not omnipresent. Everywhere there is more or less deism and a corresponding amount of demonolatry, and the real or at least chief difference is upon the question, What can be done with these inferior spirits 1 Perhaps this remark need not even be limited to Africa.

The practices of medieval Christians and some modern ones need only be alluded to. As for the Bantus, they have recourse to music either to please a spirit with harmony or else to drive him away with dis cord till he ventures to come back again. But the Negro asks where the spirit is ; and if told he is in a small stone, he boldly pockets the stone, and goes away master of the situation. However, the Bantus use some charms and amulets which are very like the gris-gris of the Negroes. But they keep them for good luck, and apparently on the same principle as our own countrymen do horse-shoes and crooked sixpences. Those who can explain fully what that principle is, will be more able than I am to contrast the Bantu with the Negro. Fetichism is said to be derived from the Portuguese feitigo or feticzeira, and that from no African source, but from the Latin factitius.

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. XV so much as Avhat he ought to do. With the help of only a few associates, he may, if he chooses, be come a power in the land, and then he can either concuss or persuade as he thinks best. He has to face slavery, polygamy, sanguinary superstition, and sensual habits, some of which are promoted through the sanction of rites and cere monies, and others through universal custom. Unfortunately I know nothing of Portuguese, but I could suggest several words both in Italian and also in languages of the North that resemble this both in sense and sound. Still, if we set aside the words that are plainly connected with facere or factitare (such as affatturamento, the operation of bewitching), I think all the others might be traced to a common origin, and be accounted akin to our own word " fate."

However, it is more for me to mention words that I met with in the interior of Africa. There witchcraft is called ufiti. The m'fiti (wizard or witch) resembles the European witch to an extent that has greatly surprised me. A m'fiti does not seem to be connected with an owl (as strega with strige), but sometimes takes the form of a fisi (hyena), and thus scrapes at burial-grounds. The objects which in East Africa correspond to fetiches are used, some of them by the witch and some against the witch. By way of derivation for these words, I think I may suggest fetsa, the causative mood or form of the verb fa, to die. Every death not easily accounted for is attri buted to the afiti, but their practice is not ku pa, to kill ; it is, kit fetsa, to cause to die. As I happen to be using this word pa, I may refer by the way for its use in Scythian to Herodotus (Book IV. c. 110).

I infer that pa originally meant " to push," and fa "to fall " ; because pana (the reciprocal form) does not mean " to kill one an other," but "to wrestle" ; and fana means " to resemble," somewhat like our word " coincide."

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. XVI It is very natural for him, therefore, to think of using his power in liberating the captive, and try ing to show an example of good government by annexing lands, and, if he be an ecclesiastic, forming them into " States of the Church." But ought he to do so 1 Europe, at least in the present day, is ahead of Africa in humanity ; and if its States are disposed to spend and be spent in the relief of the op pressed, I cannot see how, in the light of com mon-sense, they need scruple to exercise inter vention or even interference, if necessary, to attain that object. But as for missionaries, I think they Avould do better to compare themselves with the early Chris tians under the Eoman Empire. These had very much the same evils to contend against, but pos sessed no power except that of persuasion.

The problem they had to face was simply hoAV to make good conquer evil in the best way, because no other AA7ay Avas open to them. As Bishop Steere has ob served, they advised slaves to be subject to their oAvn masters, especially to the bad ones. I admit that the Christians have taken a great many cen turies to overcome slavery and superstition, but

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. XVII this has been obviously because the persuaders Avere not all fully persuaded in their OAvn minds. Still they have achieved a signal moral conquest. Indeed the very source of perplexity is that this conquest has by degrees become so complete, and has by this time given rise to so many laAVS, ordi nances, customs, and it may be even prejudices, some of which can hardly be observed except in a Christian country, or at leasta free one, that it requires some reflection for us uoav to distinguish between Christianity itself and the fruits of its deA7elopment, and thus to qualify ourselves for advising the Africans hoAV they can be Christians under any circumstances. But if we neglect to reflect upon this, Ave may be making the pro gress of Christianity more difficult than it was originally, or than it need be or ought to be.

A second peculiarity of this mission-field is its general unhealthiness. Even the natives some times lose health when they go to a part of the country to which they are strangers and not ac climatised. Negroes from America are said to fare worse than Europeans. Europeans may do very well if they reside at high altitudes; but then how are they to spread Christianity throughout the

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. country if they can only move, like ptarmigan, from one mountain-top to another ? A third peculiarity — if, indeed, the fact be quite peculiar — is that those who have been most anxious ■" to raise up a native ministry," but at the same time to do nothing but genuinely good work, have found it necessary to make very cautious and very slow progress. If the reader be interested in this subject, I beg to refer to what I know about it as given in the first Appendix. The little experience I have had myself goes all to corroborate what is there mentioned. A fourth peculiarity arises from the circumstance that Africans cannot read, while at the same time they do not Avork very assiduously. They have in consequence an unassuaged appetite for excitement, or at least for something to think about. Thus it is that from time to time they get up little wars, or rather, Avarlike demonstrations, though they scarcely half like these after all.

Thus it is that they cherish their superstitions in lieu of fairy tales or romances, though they only half believe in them. Thus, too, they Avill often come to hear a missionary, and especially a new one, preach, though they may only half understand what he says, just be-

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. XIX cause, like the venerable Areopagites, they haAre nothing else to spend their time upon but to tell or to hear some new thing.1 In view of these peculiarities and difficulties, I may perhaps throAv out a suggestion — I cannot call it a recommendation, for I have no ade quate experience to show how it would answer, but it might be tried experimentally along Avith any other system. It is this : Choose the most healthy places that can be found. Send to them plenty of translators, printers, and schoolmasters. Let the translators render into the African dialects the Scriptures, and Avhatever else they can that is good, interesting, and easily understood ; let the printers print it, and let the schoolmasters teach the young to read it. In the school for reading, let pupil-teachers be selected, and in due time sent far and wide to become teachers of separate schools under the control and occasional inspection of the European schoolmasters.

Finally, let those who have learned to read go back to their oavii villages Avith such books as may be given them, and let no one be paid from this country except the Europeans. At present the native children learn pretty 1 Acts xvii. 21. XX

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. readily to read in their own language Avithin school ; but they would surely find a stronger incentive to learning if once, after taking home a store of suitable books and reading these to their friends, they found themselves valued as if they were bards or story-tellers. I am aware that a little translat ing and printing is already accomplished in all missions, only not on so large a scale as I am sug gesting. So far as I have seen, missionaries com monly do their translation as a by-work, after the regular exertions of the day are over ; and the usual idea is rather to teach the art of printing to the natives than to do it well and expeditiously for them, the missionary himself being sometimes the only compositor. Of course, translators must mix with the natives in order to learn the language : but they cannot learn much Avhile preaching or while teaching a school ; so that I think they should not be much burdened Avith these duties, if it is meant seriously that they are to be linguists and translators.

Some may object that a book cannot accomplish what a living Christian can. Doubtless a little intercourse Avith the natives would be very im portant, so as to show goodwill ; but I am not

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. XXI persuaded that constant intercourse is so necessary, as if the world could be converted only by exciting admiration for human characters, or by working upon men's love of mutual esteem. Even St Paul gives us to understand that his letters sometimes produced more effect than his presence ; and in the case of less distinguished missionaries, I think it is often a question how far it succeeds to pay them for being good and for exhibiting themselves. Besides, missionaries and books may both of them alike be selected carefully, and sent out with their characters stamped upon them, but the characters on the paper are the surest to last unchanged. Further, missionaries and books may both of them succumb to the climate, but the loss of the latter is the less to be lamented and the more quickly repaired.

It may be that such a scheme would never produce anything like Avhat would be called a church, but then it Avould just have to produce something else. Apart from these ideas and suggestions, I should expect schoolmasters to be peculiarly well adapted for speaking to the natives, whether young or old. The old resemble children in many respects. I found it necessary to make myself as plain and inb

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. telligible as I could in addressing them, especially in asking questions ; for whenever explanation was required, the natives became confused, and I had to drop the subject. Their answers, however, are more uniformly intelligent than those of children. I am sure that any one who finds a pleasure in adapting himself to children, would soon in that country work con amove. In conclusion, I should like to bespeak attention to the remarkable system pursued in the Univer sities Mission, of finding volunteers, and paying no salaries at all (see end of Appendix I.) Bishop Steere said he thought that in course of time all missionary societies would come to adopt it ; al though I must say, I wonder how or in what age he expected them to find this practicable. I think it must have made an impression upon any one, to have seen so many young men as we did arriving at Zanzibar, some of whom were giving up univer sity fellowships, and all kinds of prospects in the Avay of " careers," Avhile others had ample means of their oavti.