Chapter I: Preface

I had intended this record of personal adventure to appear immediately after my return to Europe, in May 1859. The impaired health, the depression of spirits, and worse still the annoyance of official correspondence, which to me have been the sole results of African Exploration, may be admitted as valid reasons for the delay.

In April, 1860, the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain honoured me by publishing a detailed paper, forming the XXIXth Volume of their Journal, from which the topographical descriptions contained in the following pages have, with their kind permission, been extracted. I have now attempted to combine with geography and ethnology, a narrative of occurrences and an exposition of the more popular and picturesque points of view which the subject offers.

When I communicated to my friends the publishers certain intentions of writing an exclusively “light work,” they protested against the project, stating that the public appetite required the addition of stronger meat. In compliance, therefore, with their suggestion, I have drawn two portraits of the same object, and mingled the gay with the graver details of travel, so as to produce an antipathetic cento.

Modern “hinters to travellers” direct the explorer and the missionary to eschew theory and opinion. We are told somewhat peremptorily that it is our duty to gather actualities not inferences--to see and not to think, in fact, to confine ourselves to transmitting the rough material collected by us, that it may be worked into shape by the professionally learned at home. But why may not the observer be allowed a voice concerning his own observations, if at least his mind be sane and his stock of collateral knowledge be respectable?

I have not attempted to avoid intruding matters of a private and personal nature upon the reader; it would have been impossible to avoid egotism in a purely egotistical narrative. The official matter, however, has been banished into Appendix II. In publishing it, my desire is to avoid the possibility of a charge being concealed in the pigeon-holes of the India House, to be produced, according to custom, with all the effect of a surprise whenever its presence is convenient. I know the conditions of appealing from those in office to a higher tribunal--the Public. I well know them and I accept them. _Avant tout, gentilhomme!_

I have spoken out my feelings concerning Captain Speke, my companion in the Expedition which forms the subject of these pages. The history of our companionship is simply this:--As he had suffered with me in purse and person at Berberah, in 1855, I thought it but just to offer him the opportunity of renewing an attempt to penetrate into Africa. I had no other reasons. I could not expect much from his assistance; he was not a linguist--French and Arabic being equally unknown to him--nor a man of science, nor an accurate astronomical observer. The Court of Directors officially refused him leave of absence; I obtained it for him by an application to the local authorities at Bombay. During the exploration he acted in a subordinate capacity; and as may be imagined amongst a party of Arabs, Baloch, and Africans, whose languages he ignored, he was unfit for any other but a subordinate capacity. Can I then feel otherwise than indignant, when I find that, after preceding me from Aden to England, with the spontaneous offer, on his part, of not appearing before the Society that originated the Expedition until my return, he had lost no time in taking measures to secure for himself the right of working the field which I had opened, and that from that day he has placed himself _en evidence_ as the _primum mobile_ of an Expedition, in which he signed himself “surveyor,”--_cujus pars minima fuit_?

With deference to the reader’s judgment, I venture to express a hope that whatever of unrefinement appears in these pages, may be charged to the subject. It has been my duty to draw a Dutch picture, a cabaret-piece which could not be stripped of its ordonnance, its boors, its pipes, and its pots. I have shirked nothing of the unpleasant task,--of recording processes and not only results; I have entered into the recital of the maladies, the weary squabbles, and the vast variety of petty troubles, without which the _coup d’œil_ of African adventure would be more like a Greek Saint in effigy--all lights and no shade--than the chapter of accidents which it now is.

The map and the lists of stations, dates, &c., have been drawn upon the plan adopted by Mr. Francis Galton, F.R.G.S. The outline of Africa, the work of Mr. Weller, F.R.G.S., contains the latest and the best information concerning the half-explored interior of the Continent. The route-map has been borrowed by permission from the laborious and conscientious compilation of Mr. Findlay, F.R.G.S., accompanying the paper forwarded by me to the Royal Geographical Society. The latter gentleman has also kindly supplied a profile of the country traversed, showing the Eastern limits of the Great Depression, and the “elevated-trough formation” of Central Africa.

In conclusion, I would solicit forbearance in all that concerns certain errors of omission and commission scattered through these pages. The migratory instinct is now hurrying me towards the New World: I have, therefore, been obliged to content myself with a single revise.

10th April,
E.I.U.S. Club, 14 St. James’s Square.

DATES OF JOURNEYING.

1856| September |Left England.
|2nd December |Sailed from Bombay.
|19th December |Arrived at Zanzibar Island.
1857|6th January |Left Zanzibar the first time.
|14th June |Left Zanzibar the second time.
|27th June |Set out from Kaole on the coast.
|7th November |Arrived at Unyanyembe of Unyamwezi.
1858|14th February |Reached Ujiji on the Tanganyika Lake.
|26th April |Arrived at Uvira on the North of the Tanganyika
| |Lake.
|26th May |Left Ujiji.
|19th June |Returned to Unyanyembe.
|26th September|Left Unyanyembe.
1859|3rd February |Reached Konduchi on the coast.
|4th March |Landed at Zanzibar Island.
|4th May |Left Aden.
|20th May |Landed at Southampton.

LIST STASIMETRIC AND HYPSOMETRIC.

NAMES OF KHAMBI OR STAGES MADE BY THE EAST AFRICAN EXPEDITION, AND
HEIGHTS OF THE SEVERAL CRUCIAL STATIONS.

FIRST REGION.

+-----+------------------------------------------------+-----+
| | FROM KAOLE ON THE COAST TO ZUNGOMERO, CHIEF | |
| | DISTRICT OF K’HUTU. | |
+-----+------------------------------------------------+-----+
| | |H. M.|
| 1 | Kaoli to Mgude or Kuingani | 1 30|
| 2 | Kuingani to Bomani | 1 30|
| 3 | Bomani to Mkwaju la Mvuani | 0 30|
| 4 | Mkwaju to Nzasa (of Uzaramo) | 3 20|
| 5 | Nzasa to Kiranga-Ranga | 6 0|
| 6 | Kiranga-Ranga to Tumba Ihere | 3 30|
| 7 | Tumba Ihere to Muhonyera | 4 40|
| 8 | Muhonyera to Sagesera | 2 45|
| 9 | Sagesera to Tunda | 7 0|
| 10 | Tunda to Dege la Mhora | 2 30|
| 11 | Dege la Mhora to Madege Madogo | 3 0|
| 12 | Madege Madogo to Kidunda | 3 0|
| 13 | Kidunda to Mgeta Ford | 7 0|
| 14 | Mgeta Ford to Kiruru in K’hutu | 6 0|
| 15 | Kiruru to Dut’humi | 6 40|
| 16 | Dut’humi to Bakera | 2 0|
| 17 | Bakera to Zungomero | 7 0|
+-----+ +-----+
| ☉17 | |67 55|
+-----+------------------------------------------------+-----+
|Kaole, Latitude, South, 6° 25′ Longitude, East, 38° 51′.|
|Zungomero, „ 7° 27′ „ 37° 22′.|
| Altitude of Zungomero, 330 feet above sea level. Average |
| altitude of First Region, by B. P. Therm., 230 feet. |
+------------------------------------------------------------+

SECOND REGION.

+---+----------------------------------------------------------+------+
| | FROM ZUNGOMERO, OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF USAGARA, | |
| | TO UGOGI. | |
+---+----------------------------------------------------------+------+
| | | H. M.|
| 1|Zungomero to Mzizi Mdogo (in Usagara) | 5 0|
| 2| Mzizi Mdogo to Chya K’henge | 4 30|
| 3|Chya K’henge to Rufuta River | 4 30|
| 4|Rufuta River (up the Goma Pass) to Mfu’uni | 1 50|
| 5|Mfu’uni to “Overshot Nullah” | 6 10|
| 6|“Overshot Nullah” to Zonhwe | 2 0|
| 7|Zonhwe to Muhama | 4 45|
| 8|Muhama to Makata | 6 30|
| 9|Makata to Myombo River | 4 30|
| 10|Myombo River to Mbumi | 4 30|
| 11|Mbumi to Kadetamare | 5 55|
| 12|Kadetamare to Muinyi | 8 10|
| 13|Muinyi to Nidabi | 4 50|
| 14|Nidabi to Rumuma | 5 30|
| 15|Rumuma to Marenga Mk’hali | 3 30|
| 16|Marenga Mk’hali to ☉ in Jungle | 5 0|
| 17|Jungle to Inenge | 4 0|
| 18|Inenge to first gradient of Rubeho Pass | 6 30|
| 19|First gradient to second gradient ditto | 2 0|
| 20|Second gradient to summit of Rubeho | 1 45|
| 21|Summit to ☉ one quarter of the way down the counterslope | 3 0|
| 22|From ☉ on slope to ☉ below half-way | 5 0|
| 23|From ☉ below half-way to Ugogi at the base | 4 0|
+---+ +------+
|☉23 + 27 (carried forward) = 33 ☉’s 103 25|
| Carried forward, 67 55|
| ------+
| Total hours from the coast to Ugogi 171 20|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Rubeho Pass, (about) Latitude, South, 6° 38′ Longitude, East, 36° 19′|
|Ugogi, „ 6° 40′ „ 36° 6′|
| Altitude of Rubeho summit, 5700. Altitude of Ugogi at Western |
| Counterslope, by B. P. Therm. 2770. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

THIRD REGION.

+------------+------------------------------------------------+------+
| | FROM UGOGI, THROUGH MARENGA MK’HALI, UGOGO, | |
| | AND MGUNDA MK’HALI, TO TURA OF UNYAMWEZI. | |
+------------+------------------------------------------------+------+
| | | H. M.|
| ☉ 1|Ugogi to ☉ in Jungle | 4 0|
| { 2|Jungle to Marenga Mk’hali (second of that name) | 4 40|
|Marenga { 3|Marenga Mk’hali to ☉ in Jungle | 4 10|
|Mk’hali.{ 4|☉ in Jungle to ☉ in Jungle | 5 0|
| { 5|☉ in Jungle to Ziwa or tank (on frontier of | |
| { |Ugogo) | 2 0|
| { 6|Ziwa to Kifukuru | 3 0|
| { 7|Kifukuru to ☉ in Jungle | 5 40|
| { 8|☉ in Jungle to Kanyenye | 1 25|
| { 9|Kanyenye to Kanyenye of Magomba | 2 45|
|Ugogo. { 10|Kanyenye of Magomba to ☉ in Jungle | 5 0|
| { 11|☉ in Jungle to K’hok’ho | 7 40|
| { 12|K’hok’ho to Mdaburu | 6 20|
| { 13|Mdaburu to ☉ in Jungle of Mgunda Mk’hali | 6 30|
| { 14|Mgunda Mk’hali to Mabunguru | 6 0|
| { 15|Mabunguru to Jiwe la Mkoa | 7 0|
|Mganda { 16|Jiwe la Mkoa to Kirurumo | 3 10|
|Mk’hali.{ 17|Kirurumo to Jiweni of Uyanzi | 4 30|
| { 18|Jiweni to Mgongo Thembo | 2 20|
| { 19|Mgongo Thembo to ☉ Tura Nullah | 7 0|
| { 20|☉ Tura Nullah to Tura in Unyamwezi | 5 30|
+------------+ +------+
| ☉20 + 33 (carried forward) = 53. 93 40|
| Carried forward 171 20|
| -------+
| Total hours from the coast to Tura 265 0|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Eastern limit of Tura, Latitude, South, 5° 27′ Longitude, East, 34°.|
|Altitude, by Bath. Thermometer, 4125 feet. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

FOURTH REGION.

+----------+------------------------------------------+-------------+
| | THROUGH UNYAMWEZI, UGARA, UWENDE, AND | |
| | UVINZA, TO FORD OF MALAGARAZI RIVER. | |
+----------+------------------------------------------+-------------+
| | | H. M. |
| 1|Eastern limit of Tura to Western Tura. | 1 30 |
| 2|Western Tura to Kwale Nullah | 6 30 |
| 3|Kwale Nullah to Eastern Rubuga | 5 45 |
| 4|Eastern Rubuga to Western Rubuga | 2 40 |
| 5|Western Rubuga to Ukona | 2 15 |
| 6|Ukona to Kigwa | 5 5 |
| 7|Kigwa to Hanga village | 6 30 |
| 8|Hanga to Kazeh (Arab ☉) | 5 0 |
| 9|Kazeh to Zimbili Hill | 1 40 |
| 10|Zimbili to Yombo | 2 0 |
| 11|Yombo to Pano (clearing in Jungle) | 4 0 |
| 12|Pano to Eastern Mfuto | 1 40 |
| 13|Eastern Mfuto to Western Mfuto | 2 0 |
| 14|Western Mfuto to Eastern Wilyankuru | 6 30 |
| 15|Eastern Wilyankuru to Central Wilyankuru | 2 50 |
| 16|Central Wilyankuru to Western Wilyankuru | 2 0 |
| 17|Western Wilyankuru to Masenge | 2 30}Expe- |
| 18|Masenge to Eastern Kirira | 2 0}dition|
| 19|Eastern Kirira to Western Kirira | 3 0}sepa- |
| 20|Western Kirira to Eastern Msene | 4 0}rated.|
| 21|Eastern Msene to Western Msene (Arab ☉) | 2 0 |
| 22|Western Msene to Mbhali | 1 30 |
| 23|Mbhali to Sengati | 2 0 |
| 24|Sengati to Sorora or Solola | 0 45 |
| 25|Sorora to Ukungwe | 2 15 |
| 26|Ukungwe to Panda | 1 50 |
| 27|Panda to Kajjanjeri | 1 30 |
| 28|Kajjanjeri to Eastern Usagozi | 3 45 |
| 29|Eastern Usagozi to Western Usagozi | 1 0 |
| 30|Western Usagozi to Masenga of Wagara | 2 0 |
| 31|Masenga to Mukozimo of Wawende | 2 45 |
| 32|Mukozimo to Uganza of Wanyamwezi | 3 15 |
| {33|Uganza to Usenye of Wavinza | 4 0 |
| {34|Usenye to Rukunda | 2 20 |
|Uvinza.{35|Rukunda to Wanyika | 3 0 |
| {36|Wanyika to Unyanguruwwe | 4 50 |
| {37|Unyanguruwwe to Ugaga on the Malagarazi | |
| |River | 3 0 |
+----------+ +-------------+
| ☉ 37 + 53 (carried over) = 90 110 30 |
| Carried forward 265 0 |
| --------------+
| Total hours from coast to Malagarazi River 375 30 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Kazeh Latitude, South, 5° 1′. Longitude, East, 33° 3′.|
|Malagarazi Ferry. „ 5° 7′. „ 31° 13′.|
| Altitude of Kazeh, by Bath Therm. 3490 feet. |
| „ Usenye „ 3190 „ |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

FIFTH REGION.

+----+---------------------------------------------------+------+
| | FROM THE MALAGARAZI FERRY TO UKARANGA ON THE | |
| | TANGANYIKA LAKE. | |
+----+---------------------------------------------------+------+
| | | H. M.|
| 1|Ugaga on left to Mpete on right hand | 0 25|
| 2|Mpete to Kinawani | 5 20|
| 3|Kinawani to ☉ in Jungle | 5 25|
| 4|☉ in Jungle to Jambeho | 1 40|
| 5|Jambeho to Salt pans of Rusugi River | 5 15|
| 6|Salt pans to ☉ in Jungle | 4 20|
| 7|☉ in Jungle to Ruguvu River | 3 30|
| 8|Ruguvu River to Unguwwe River | 4 40|
| 9|Unguwwe River to ☉ in Jungle | 7 35|
| 10|☉ in Jungle to Ukaranga on Lake | 6 35|
+----+ +------+
|☉ 10 + 90 (carried forward) = 100 44 45|
| Carried forward 375 30|
| ------+
| Total hours from the coast to the Tanganyika Lake 420 25|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|Ukaranga, Latitude, South, 4° 58′. Longitude, East, 30° 3′ 30″.|
| Altitude by Bath Therm. 1850. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

The distance from Kaole to Ujiji is of 540 rectilinear geographical miles: or in statute miles, allowing one for windings of the road, thus:

From Kaole to Kazeh, statute miles 520
From Kazeh to Ujiji, „ 276
---
796
Add one fifth for detour--159 miles 159
---
Total of statute miles 955

Assuming the absolute time of travelling to be 420 hours, this will give a marching rate of 2·27 miles per hour.

CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME.

Page