Through jungle and desert; travels in Eastern Africa

Front matter

BOUGHT WITH THE INCO FROM THE

SAGE ENDOWMENT

THE GIFT OF

Preface

In giving this book to the press I gratefully acknowledge the help I have received in preparing it from numerous friends, and especially from the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, to whose encouragement and advice its present appearance is largely due.

THE AUTHOR.

Contents

PAGE

CHAPTER I I CHAPTER n . .40

CHAPTER ni 76

CHAPTER IV 117

CHAPTER V . 154

CHAPTER VI 203

CHAPTER VII 266

CHAPTER VIII 327

CHAPTER IX 378

CHAPTER X 448

CHAPTER XI 482

index' 521

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

William Astor Chanler ..... Frontispiece

Lieutenant Ludwig von Hohnel ...... Face i

Borassus Palm 2

Outskirts of Lamu ......... 3

Type of Porter 8

Whole Force of the Zanzibari . . . . . . -13

Our Camp at Mkonumbi . . . . . . . -19

A Village of Mkonumbi 31

Galla Girl 37

Our Pokomo Boatmen 39

Vignette 41

Village of Kinekombe . -45

Scene in Camp on the Coast . . . . . . -47

Pokomo Boat Builders at Work . . . . . . -53

Camels on the March ......... 65

Camp at Hameye . . . . . . . . .71

My Whole Force drawn up . . . . . . . .81

Hippopotamus Hunt on the Mackenzie River . . . -87

Hippopotamus Hunt on the Mackenzie River .... 93

Acacia and Thorn Scrub .... ... 99

xi

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Baobab Tree 109

Dhum Palm and Acacia

Chanler Falls

Canyon above Chanler Falls

Dead Rhinoceros ....

The Author, with Vanguard of Soudanese

Camp on the Plain near Lorian .

Scene near Lorian ....

Wamsara Elders ....

Type of Landscape ....

A Charge of Wamsara

Mode of carrying the Sick

Porters on the March

Loading Camels — pile of ammunition in the foreground

Unloading Camels — showing mode of carrying Berthon boat

Scene on the Tana ... ...

Native Huts of the Wa-daitcho .

Ant Hill .... . .

Embe Girl carrying Wood ....

Our Camp at Daitcho

Chief Natives of the Embe

Embe Shepherds

Liria, most Influential Man among the Embe

An Embe Donkey

Tent Boys

Oryx Beisa

Dead Rhinoceros

Unloading of Camels

Karscho

Mahomet Aman ....

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Scene in Camp

Guaso Nyiro River, near where we found Rendile

Type of Landscape

Native Bridge — a chasm in the Guaso Nyiro River

Men playing Cards in Camp ....

Scene on the Guaso Nyiro River

Some of my Men with Ivory ....

Donkeys crossing Dry River-bed

In Trouble with our Donkeys ....

At the Head-waters of the Mackenzie .

Native Village — wall and gateway

Camp Scene at Daitcho .....

Soudanese Guard at Gate ....

Daitcho Dancing

Daitcho Dancing . ....

The Leader of the Dance

Daitcho Ladies in Full Ball Costume .

Beri-Beri, Medicine-man and Poisoner of the Daitcho

Cervicapra Chanleri .

Country near Guaso Nyiro River

Large Baobab Tree

Wakamba Warriors

Bridge across the Tana

Vignette

Wakamba Medicine-men

Dick's Grave at Mwyru

Mgundu

Ramazan and Mgundu

PAGE

370 381 394 401

403 407 411

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Cocoanut-oil Mill 501

Variety of Porters' Habitations 512

Vignette 516

Map of Tana District and Northeastern Kenya Region.

General View of East Africa, showing the Route of the Expedition.

Lieutenant Ludwig von Hohnel oXXo

CHAPTER I

The journey the description of which will be found in the following pages was one planned and undertaken, by me in cooperation with Lieutenant von Hohnel, for the purpose of adding something to the world's knowledge of that portion of East Africa hitherto unexplored, lying between the Tana and Juba rivers.

Lieutenant von Hohnel, my companion upon this journey, is an officer in the Imperial and Royal Austro- Hungarian Navy. In the year 1888 he accompanied Count Teleki, an Hungarian nobleman, upon an expedition into East Africa, which lasted nearly two years, as a result of which much was added to the scientific knowledge of this portion of that continent, especially by the discovery of the great lakes Rudolph and Stephanie. The wonderfully exact map made by Lieutenant von Hohnel attracted the attention of all geographers to his work ; and the book descriptive of that journey added greatly to his fame, and conveyed a vast amount of new and interesting information.

My journey was undertaken purely in the interest of science, and, such being the case, I esteemed myself most fortunate in securing the cooperation of Lieutenant von Hbhnel. What he accomplished for geography will be seen from an inspection of the maps accompanying this volume.

But one other white man accompanied us ; this was my servant, George Galvin, an American boy nineteen

BORASsus Palm years of age. He had accompanied me upon my first expedition to Africa, at which time he was but sixteen years of age, and had not only proved himself capable, in an astonishing degree, of withstanding the hardships incident to African travel, but had also developed marked capability in the work connected with the caravan. Throughout the narrative, I shall speak of him as George ; and as the story progresses, the reader will be able to judge of his behaviour.

The expedition of Count Teleki and Lieutenant von Hohnel determined the northern limit of the Masai race, and penetrated almost to the regions inhabited by the Galla. Between Lakes Rudolph and Stephanie and the Indian Ocean there lies a large area of country, which until our journey had resisted attempts at exploration. The natives inhabiting that portion of the

coast are Somali, and they proved in every way hostile to Europeans. Baron Vanderdecken had met his death at Bardera, a few miles from the coast, in the year 1867. Since that time few efforts had been made, and " they were attended with anything but success.

Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had had some experience in African travel, and we decided that an exploration of this part of the country was feasible, provided entrance was made south of the region over which the Somali held sway. The River Tana, which flows from Mount Kenya to the Indian Ocean, had been proved by the journeys of Denhardt, Peters, and

Dundas to be navigable for more than 200 miles from the sea ; and, in consequence, it seemed to us a suitable point at which to commence our journey. It was our intention to ascend the river, and, upon reaching the limits of navigation, to strike to the north, and penetrate as far as possible into the interior.

From information received, we had come to the conclusion that the Somali tribes did not extend their wanderings many miles from the coast lying between Kismayu and Lamoo, at the mouth of the Tana River, and that the Juba River formed the southern boundary of the wanderings of the Somali inhabiting the country immediately south of Berbera ; so that, by taking the Tana route, we should effect an entrance into the country without coming into contact with the Somali.

Of the tribes inhabiting the country between the Juba and the Tana rivers we had no definite knowledge. Lieutenant von Hohnel and Count Teleki, on their former journey along the eastern shore of Lake Rudolph, saw signs and gathered intelligence of a large tribe called Rendile. The exact habitat of this tribe was unknown, but they were supposed to range from Lake Stephanie, in the north, to some point near Mount Kenya, in the south. They were said to be possessed of vast herds of camels, horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, and cattle. This wealth had made them the object of attacks from the Somali on the coast, and from the Masai and other tribes lying to the south and west of them. Owing to this fact, it was said, they were continually on the move — stopping but long enough in one place to exhaust the pasturage, and then moving on again in search of food and water for their flocks.

The presence of this tribe in the part of the country to which I have referred we took for granted ; and the fact that they were possessed of beasts of burden, suitable for the purposes of a caravan, entered largely into our calculations.

In the make-up and personnel of our caravan we had so arranged matters that, upon meeting this tribe, we might renew our means of porterage (sure to be weakened and reduced by the journey); we hoped that our caravan, strengthened by this means, would be enabled to proceed without difficulty for a great distance and length of time in search of fresh fields for exploration.

Both Lieutenant von Hbhnel and I had come to the conclusion, that the use of men as a means of porterage was not only troublesome and costly, but, from the very exigencies of African travel, cruel in the extreme. Our ideas then turned in the direction of obviating, as far as possible, the necessity of using men ; but not knowing whether the climatic conditions of the country lying between the coast and the Rendile (from whom we hoped to purchase cattle, etc.) were suited for beasts of burden, we were forced to employ, at least for the outset of our expedition, men for the transportation of our goods. To these we added fifteen camels, fifty donkeys, and ten oxen. The porters used in East Africa are the people called " Zanzibari," and made famous by Stanley and other travellers. Few of these people are natives of Zanzibar — being mostly slaves bought by the Arabs from the numerous tribes in the interior, and leased out by their masters as porters to any European making up a caravan. As is to be expected, their intelligence is not of a high order, and they are accustomed to but one sort of work; namely, bearing burdens upon their heads and shoulders. We hoped, however, should we be fortunate enough to reach the Rendile, and purchase camels from them, to instruct our porters in the care of these beasts, and, further, to use them, should necessity arise, as an armed force.

For the management and care of the beasts of burden I engaged seven Somali. These people possess camels, flocks, and horses of their own at home, and consequently are well fitted for such work. Owing to the warlike nature of the tribes through which we expected to pass, we engaged twelve Soudanese soldiers from Massowah. Thus my caravan was composed of three distinct peoples. These we hoped to weld into one efficient whole, notwithstanding the fact that we had been warned that their cohesion was not to be expected in an African expedition, particularly when it is borne in mind that their customs as well as characters differ in a great degree. As the narrative of our journey progresses, it will be found which view was the correct one.

The Tana River enters the Indian Ocean near the town of Lamoo, and we pitched upon this place as the starting-point of our journey. The preparations for a journey of exploration in the interior of Africa cannot possess great attraction to the general reader, and, therefore, little stress will be laid upon the detail.

All the material which it was possible to procure in Europe had been purchased and packed either in London or in Vienna ; and from these points we shipped them directly to Lamoo. There yet remained, however, the enlistment of men, the purchase of beasts of burden, with their pack-saddles, etc., and a thousand and one little things which are procurable only on the coast of Africa. Through the kindness of the Italian authorities at Massowah, we were enabled to procure the Soudanese ; and it is not the fault of our kind friends there that the quality of these men was not better than it later proved. The Somali were engaged at Aden ; there, likewise, we purchased the saddles for our camels and two horses. This portion of the work was attended to by Lieutenant von Hohnel — I going to Zanzibar to engage porters.

I could not have chosen a more inopportune time for the enlistment of porters at Zanzibar. The British East Africa Company, bent upon the retention of Uganda, had practically exhausted the supply of porters, and a missionary caravan was on the point of starting to the interior. Apparently, a porter was worth his weight in gold, and almost as difficult to procure as is that precious metal. However, I brought excellent letters to the authorities at Zanzibar, and my friend. Sir Gerald Portal (since deceased), was at that time the British Agent and Consul-General at this place. This gentleman offered me every assistance in his power, and instructed General Sir Lloyd Matthews, the efficient Prime Minister to the Sultan of Zanzibar, to throw the great weight of his local influence into the scales in my behalf. Moreover, the American Consul, Mr. Jones, procured me an audience with His Highness the Sultan, Seyd Ali, who kindly permitted me to enlist porters in my service.

Although permission had been granted me, yet, in order not to excite the jealousy of others in search of porters, the enlistment of the men was carried on in a more or less secret manner. Runners were sent out to the neighbouring plantations with the news that an expedi-

CHAP.

tion having the sanction of the Government was about to be formed ; and soon, by twos and threes, men came to my agents, received three months' wages in advance, and signed on as porters. Each man brought with him,

as sponsor, some responsible person, who was held answerable for his appearance on the da\ set for our departure from I Zanzibar.

It may have interest for some to state the wages paid these porters — each man received twelve rupees per month. At this time the rupee was low, and the equivalent of twelve rupees was somewhat less than ^4.00, a sum which is there considered very good pay. If the porter is a freeman, he retains the entire amount received ; if a slave, he must give one-half to his master.

In the course of one month I secured 130 men — though " man " is a term which could be properly applied to but few ; for, owing to the scarcity of material, in many instances I was compelled to accept mere youths and men of inferior physique.

Type of Porter

As all readers of African travel are aware, the most important of the porters of a caravan is the headman. I had hoped to engage the headman of my former journey, who had also accompanied Royal Phelps Carroll upon his shooting expedition to Masai Land. Unfortunately, he, being a slave, was at that time away upon a trading journey up-country in the service of his master. I deemed myself fortunate, however, in being able to secure the man who had performed the duties of second headman on my former journey — by name, Hamidi. He was a young and intelligent native of the Comoro Islands ; he had served in many up-country expeditions, and had behaved, as far as my experience and the testimony of others went, in an efificient and trustworthy manner upon all occasions. To him I left the choice of three under-headmen.

As his first lieutenant he chose one Mohamadi, who had been second headman on the unfortunate expedition which resulted in the death of Captain Stairs. The other two headmen were unknown to me, but I was assured by Hamidi that they were capable and trustworthy.

I succeeded in getting but one porter who had accompanied me on my former journey, but was more fortunate in the matter of tent-boys, employed as body sei'vants. Two of these are worthy of some mention — I refer to those attached to my own person, Sururu and Baraka. Sururu had served with Mr. Stanley three years on the Congo, and had been engaged in any number of missionary caravans. He had on one occasion seen his master shot before his eyes during an Arab uprising, had travelled more miles on foot than I care to lo THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap.

state, and carried with him testimonials of good conduct from every one he had served. In temperament he showed but few negro traits — he appeared to be actually fond of work, and, until his allotted task was completed, never allowed himself to rest. He was silent and attentive; somewhat stern with his fellow-servants during work time, but when work was over, and he was stretched at ease among his companions, he was one of the most garrulous talkers it has been my lot to hear. He had a round bullet-head, supported on the slightest possible frame; round, but intelligent, eyes; scarcely any nose; and lips full, to be sure, but firmly pressed together.

The other boy, Baraka, was an absolute contrast to his companion, being strong and sturdily built. His experience in caravan work was nearly as great as that of Sururu, but of a very different sort, for Baraka had been employed in every capacity, from that of donkey-boy to porter. His disposition was cheerful and even, and resembled in greater degree that of an American negro than any other native African I have met. For Lieutenant von Hohnel I was able to procure one of the servants whom he had employed on his former journey.

Lieutenant von Hohnel and I sailed from Europe on the 1 2th of June, 1892. On August 14 we reached Lamoo with all of the men and some of the beasts of burden. There we met George, who had arrived some days before with the goods from Europe.

Town-life in Africa is not well suited to the native members of a caravan. Temptations, small to the civilized European, surround the native at every turn; so that it was with all speed that we shipped our men

I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA ii

and goods upon small native dhows, and transported them to a village called Mkonumbi, twenty-three miles from Lamoo and its dangerous allurements. Here we pitched our first camp.

We had already ascertained that it was possible to buy camels at Kismayu, a little over loo miles north of Lamoo. Shortly after our arrival at Mkonumbi, Lieutenant von Hbhnel, attended by four of our Somali, set out by steamer for Kismayu in order to procure the camels. During his absence I devoted my time to putting the camp in order, and arranging everything for our departure into the interior.

Mkonumbi, till within a few years of our arrival, had been a portion of the Sultanate of Witu. The Sultanate of Witu consisted of the territory lying between the Tana River and the town of Lamoo. Its autonomy was not recognized by the Sultan of Zanzibar, who had at many different times sent expeditions thither for its subjugation ; none of which, however, proved successful. In 1886 the Germans established a protectorate over this sultanate ; and, following upon the protectorate, a number of Germans settled in the neighbourhood of Witu as colonists. In 1889, eleven of these settlers were murdered at the instigation of the Sultan, Fumo Omari by name.

By treaty, dated 1890, Witu was transferred by the Germans to the British, who at once sent an expedition for the punishment of the natives who had murdered the eleven Europeans. This expedition was crowned with the usual success of such undertakings. The town of Witu was totally destroyed, and the Sultan, Fumo Omari, together with most of his followers, fled to the

12 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap, i

forests of Pumwani, in the immediate neighbourhood, where he made a stand.

At the time of my arrival he was said to have looo guns at his command. His followers, thus armed, he employed for the most part in ravaging the neighbouring Arab plantations and native villages. What plunder, such as slaves, etc., he managed to acquire by these raids, he exchanged with the Somali for ivory, guns, caps, powder, and lead.

The Somali with whom he traded came from points as far north as Kismayu. One of their number, Barfalatta by name, finding the business engaged in by the Sultan of Witu profitable, attracted to himself a number of runaway slaves and renegade Arabs. With these he established himself at a point not far from Pumwani, called Jongeni. Both of these places, Pumwani and Jongeni, were in the neighbourhood of Mkonumbi, where I pitched my first camp. The British East Africa Company, as a check upon these raids, had established upon the site of the old town of Witu a garrison consisting of 150 Indian soldiers, under the command of two officers. This force had had several engagements with the raiders established at Pumwani and Jongeni ; but had been unable, owing to their small number and the difficult nature of the country, to drive the raiders from the territory.

My arrival at Mkonumbi, with a respectable force at my command (160 men), was construed by the rival chiefs (Fumo Omari and Barfalatta) as a demonstration of increased hostility on the part of the Europeans; and, perhaps in consequence, the raids during my stay at Mkonumbi became fewer and upon a smaller scale.

O

Chap. I Travels In Eastern Africa 15

The town of Lamoo is situated about twenty-three miles from Mkonumbi, on an island bearing the same name. It is inhabited by a people very different from the Arabs of Zanzibar. While it is true there are some pure-blooded Arabs among them, yet most of the people are the product of union between Arabs and natives of the islands of Lamoo, Manda, Patta, and Siu. It is uncertain whence the natives of these islands originally came. They are lighter in colour than the inhabitants of the coast, more intelligent, and, in a degree, their life is more civilized. In the native manufactures they excel; and the caps and sandals of better manufacture worn in Zanzibar all come from these islands. They are a light-hearted and treacherous race. They carry to a much higher point than the natives of any other portion of the coast of East Africa ideas of organized amusement. As far as it went, they had a keen idea of sport. On certain days of the year they had boat races, foot races, and matches of all sorts, in which both sexes took part. It is needless to add that their morals were of the lowest possible order.

The governor of the town of Lamoo was a cousin of the Sultan of Zanzibar, by name Abdullah Ben Hamed. The British East Africa Company had leased the trading rights of the coast from the Sultan of Zanzibar. At the town of Lamoo this company was represented by two officials, who, through the influence of the Arab governor, and by his assistance, managed to preserve some sort of discipline and order there. Beside these two representatives of the British East Africa Company, two other Europeans resided there, Germans, named Teide and Denhardt, engaged in trade with the natives, and in the management of several plantations.

Gustave Denhardt, in company with his brother and the late Dr. Fischer, had been the first to ascend the Tana River. At this time he had been a resident of that portion of the country about twelve years; during which period he had endeared himself to the natives, and had acquired a considerable influence over them. Both Messrs. Denhardt and Teide proved of the greatest assistance to our expedition, and we are much indebted to them for their kind offices.

Having decided to make use of the Tana River as a means of transporting a portion of our goods a distance of 200 miles into the interior, it became necessary for me to engage canoes and boatmen for the purpose. Shortly after my arrival at Mkonumbi, Mr. Denhardt and I set out for Kau, on the banks of the Tana River, to arrange our little river column. We engaged eight large dug-outs; and, through Mr. Denhardt's relations with the natives inhabiting this portion of the banks of the Tana, I was enabled to engage twenty boatmen.

These people are called Pokomo. They are here small cultivators, and derive most of the means for their subsistence from their canoes, which are much in demand to convey the produce (such as rice, corn, etc.) grown near the banks of the Tana at inland points to the coast, whence it is shipped to Lamoo. Living, as they do, in small, ill-protected villages, they are an easy mark for the raiders from Pumwani and Jongeni ; who, when the crops are ripe, swarm down upon the Pokomo, and force them to cut their crops and carry them away to these two towns. In physique, as a result of their canoe labour, these people are wonderfully developed.

I placed in charge of the Pokomo, as captain of the fleet, a native of Kau, Zanzibari in race, named Sadi. He was a suave, good-mannered, and at the same time trustworthy negro, who had accompanied Messrs. Denhardt and Fischer upon their first trip up the Tana, and had since then been engaged in many trading expeditions. He spoke the language of the Pokomo, and was loved and respected by them. He was particularly proud of his birth, and with great satisfaction did he mention the fact that his sister had at one time been a concubine of the former Sultan of Zanzibar. Having arranged for the presence of the canoes and their crews at Kau upon a date in the near future, we returned to Mkonumbi.

Surrounding Mkonumbi is an undulating plain, covered, for the most part, with high grass, the continuity of which is at a few points broken by small groups of dhum palms. Here and there, bordering upon swamps and small streams, were found forests composed of tall sycamores and other trees, whose branches, burdened with trailing vines and creepers, were filled with hordes of small monkeys and birds of gayly coloured plumage. The appearance of the country as a whole would not be called tropical, at least at the time of the year when I visited it ; namely, the middle of the dry season.

Owing to the raids of the Pumwani and Jongeni people, cultivation of the soil was carried on but in a meagre manner. In former days, when the Sultan of Witu held sway, the whole country was covered with

1 8 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap, i

plantations devoted to the cultivation of Indian com, millet, and tobacco; and before the herds of the people were destroyed by the cattle plague, which occurred in 1889, many thousands of cattle, sheep, and goats were raised. At that time this country was one of the richest on the east coast of Africa. In the midst of this vast plain, now covered with tall grass, may yet be found stalks of wild millet and stunted Indian corn, which lend their testimony to the fact that what is now but a prairie had once been the scene of considerable agricultural industry. Along the banks of the Tana, and for some distance to the eastward, dense forests are to be found, where the rubber plant is plentiful.

Our camp at Mkonumbi was 200 to 300 yards from the shore, along which were scattered fifty or sixty palm-thatched huts. These comprised the village of Mkonumbi. In the centre of our camp rose two large mango trees, whose thick branches afforded a grateful shade from the tropical sun. Under these trees we pitched our three tents. A space of three acres in extent was cleared of grass and brush, and fenced in by a strong thorn hedge. Around the inner side of this enclosure we placed the huts, thatched with straw or palm leaves, for the use of the porters. Two gates, one on the side toward the river, and the other on the opposite side of the camp, were guarded by my Soudanese. In front of our tents, in a space left open for that purpose, were placed the tents in which were stored the ammunition, trading-goods, and provisions. In one corner of our camp was placed a square, boxlike edifice, constructed from camel saddles. This was the habitation of the Somali.

z; o

a s

CHAP. I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 21

Upon arriving at Mkonumbi, I had the roll called and arranged the men in alphabetical order, giving to each a number. This number I had stamped upon the outfit given to each man. The outfit consisted of a Werndl carbine, a belt, cartridge-box, bayonet, and water-bottle. The Soudanese I armed with Mannlicher repeating rifles of the latest pattern. Moreover, they were clad in a species of uniform, which, though it may sound ridiculous in civilization, was the pride of the Soudanese, and the envy and admiration of all beholders. This uniform consisted first of baggy trousers of Turkish pattern made of white cotton drill; putties, such as are worn by the Indian army, encasing their calves; a long, blue, butcher's jumper, reaching nearly to the knees, and a bright red fez placed on their heads.

They were particularly pleased with the fez, which was identical with the headgear of the Egyptian army. Wearing it once more made them forget that they had ever revolted against His Highness, the Khedive, and consider that in some way I was connected with his government. Most of my twelve Soudanese, as I afterwards discovered, were ex-Mahdists, some of whom had taken part in the battle against General Hicks, while others boasted of having slain British soldiers at Abuklea, and in the fights about Suakim.

The Soudanese were tall, martial-looking men, wildeyed and savage, to be sure, but in appearance, at least, accustomed to the discipline of a soldier. In a short time, however, I learned that their martial bearing was more the result of a defiant spirit than of any conception of soldierly obedience. The chief of the Soudanese gloried in the title, Balook Bashi. He had seen service with the Italians, and, as I afterwards learned, had been dismissed for continued drunkenness and chronic inefficiency. His name was Mahomet el Hussein. He had been placed in command of the men at the time of their engagement in compliance with their expressed wish ; and they had sworn to obey him and, through him, the Europeans connected with the expedition.