Field Diary XVII
David Livingstone

Date of composition: 9 April-27 April 1873
Repository: David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre, United Kingdom
Shelfmark: 360
Clendennen & Cunningham number(s): Field Diaries, 030
Digital edition and date: Livingstone Online, 2017
Publisher: University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, MD, USA
Project ID: liv_000017
Critical encoding: Adrian S. Wisnicki, Heather F. Ball, Anne Martin, Christopher Lawrence, Kate Simpson
Encoding dates: 2015-10-18, 2015-10-19, 2015-10-26, 2015-11-02, 2016-01-05, 2016-06-06, 2016-08-21, 2016-12-06, 2017-11-20, 2017-11-21, 2018-03-22

0001

0002
XVII

Moselabamba S of
Gonda - chite one day off

0003
0004
XVII.

9th April 1873 - at R.
Monikazi or Munikazi

5

copied = from XVI =
5th April 1873 March from
Kabinga's on Chambeze
luggage in canoes &
10men on land = We
punted on flood 6 ft
deep with many
anthills all about
covered with trees -
15course SSE - for 5 miles
to across R. Lolingela
sluggish & of 300 yards

6th Leave in the
20same way, but men
were sent from Kabinga
to steal the canoes
0005
which we paid his
brother Matipa for
handsomely - a stupid
drummer beat the
5alarm by which we
were called inland
and found the main
body of people gone on
By this the party was
10separated and we
pulled & punted 6 or
7 hours S - W - in great
difficulty as the fisher
men we saw refused
15to shew us where the
deep water lay - The
whole country South
of the Lake was covered
with water thickly dotted
20over with Lotus leaves
and rushes - It has a
greenish appearance
and it might be well
0006
to shew the spaces
annually flooded by a
broad wavy band 20
30 and even 40 miles
5out from the permanent
banks coloured light
green - the broad
Estuaries of 50 or
more miles into
10which the rivers
form themselves
might be coloured
blue, but it is quite
impossible at
15present to tell where
land ends & Lake
begins - It is all
"water water everywhere"
and seems to be
20kept from flowing
quickly off by the
0007
narrow bed of the
Luapula which has
perpendicular banks
worn deep down in
5New red sandstone -
It is the Nile apparently
enacting its inundations
even at its sources -
The amount of water
10spread over the country
constantly excites my
wonder - it is prodigious
Many of the anthills
are cultivated and
15covered with dura
pumpkins = beans -
maize but the waters
yield food plenteously
in fish and Lotus
20roots - a species of
wild rice grows but
the people dont need or
know it -

0008

A party of fishermen
fled from us - but by
coaxing we got them
to shews deep water -
5they then shewed us
an islet about 30 yds
square without wood
& desired us to sleep
there - we went on
10and they decamped

Pitiless pelting showers
wet everything but
near sunset we saw
two fishermen paddling
15quickly off from an
anthill with a hut &
plenty of fish and some
fire wood - there we
spent the night and
20watched by turns lest
thieves should come
and haul away
our canoes & goods
Heavy rain = and
0009
one canoe sank and
wet everything in her
The leaks in her had
been stopped with clay
5and a man sleeping
near the stern had
displaced these frail
shores - Did not touch
the fish and cannot
10conjecture who has
inspired fear in all
the inhabitants

7th Went on SW &
15saw two men who
guided us to the river
Munikazi which
forms a connecting
link between the river
20Lotingela and
the Lolotikila about
the Southern borders
of the flood - men
were hunting and
0010
we passed near large
herds of antelopes
which made a rushing
plunging sound as
5they ran & sprang
away among the
water - a lion had
wandered in this ? ; [ ]
world of water and
10anthills, and roared
night & morning as
if very much dis-
-gusted and we could
sympathize with
15him - the men took
us to near the Munikazi
and left us well pleased
with the payment at
a broad bank of
20shallow water near
the river at which we
had to unload and
haul - The natives
0011
beating a drum on our
East made us believe
them to be our party &
some thought that
5they heard two shots
This misled us &
we went towards them
through Papyrus
Tall rushes - Arums
10and grass till tired
out and took refuge
on an anthill for the
night - lion roaring
We were lost in stiff
15grassy prairies -
from three to four
feet deep - of water - 5 hours

Fired again in the
20stillness of night
but recieved no
answer - so on the
8th we sent a
small canoe at
0012
daybreak to ask for
information and
guides from the
drummer village =
5Two came and they
too thought that our
party was on the East
but in that direction
the water was about
10 15 inches in spots &
three feet in others
which caused constant
dragging of the large
canoe all day and
15at last unloading
at another branch of
the Monikazi with
a village of friendly
people where we slept
20 5 hours E & by S

All hands at the large
canoe could move
her only a few
0013
feet - rushes Papyrus
Arums - wild rice
and stiff aquatic
grasses - putting all
5their strength to her
she stopped at every
haul with a jerk as
if in bank of adhesive
plaster - Measured
10the crown of a Papyrus
plant or palm
3 feet across horizon
tally and stalk 8 feet
in height - Hundreds
15of a large dark grey
hairy caterpillar have
cleared off the rushes
nearly in spots &
now live on each
20other - they can
make only the smallest
progress by swimming
0014
or rather wriggling
in the water - their
motion is that of a
watch spring thrown
5down and dilating &
contracting

9th after two hours
threading the very
10winding deep channel
of this southern
branch of Munikazi
we came to where
our party had crossed
15it and gone on to
Gandochite a chief
on the Lolotikila -
men were all done
up so hired a man
20to call our men to
take the loads but
he was stopped by
his relations in the
way saying "you
0015
ought to have one of
the travellers own
people with you" - He
returned but did not
5tell us plainly or truly
till this morning

10th the headman
of the village explained
10and we sent two of our
men who had a night's
rest with the turn
again of yesterday
( I am pale bloodless
15and weak from bleeding
profusely ever since
the 31st March = last
an artery gives off
a copious stream
20and lakes away my
strength = Oh how I
long to be permitted
by the Overpower to
finish my work - )

0016

Pollux 100˚ - 5' 20' 10th April
10 April {figure}
Munikazi R

0017

Munikazi R 11th April 1873

Bar. 6 AM
25.80
26.05 # 68˚.5
5clear
calm
25.59
#9 AM clear
10 25.85
25..05 # 74°
25.62

12th cross Munikazi
15about 100 or 130 yds broad
and deep = great loss of
Haema made ^ me so weak
I could scarcely walk but
tottered along nearly two
20hours then lay down
quite done = cooked coffee =
our last = & went on
but in an hour was
compelled to lie down =
25very unwilling to be
carried but on being
pressed allowed the men
to help me along by
relays to Chinama
30where much cultivation
is carried on = camped in
garden of Dura S. 3½

0018

13th April 1873 found
that we had slept on the
right bank of the Loitikila
a sluggish marshy
5looking river = very
winding but here going
about S.W. country
All so very flat all the
rivers down here are
10of necessity tortuous
fish & other food abun
-dant - people civil &
reasonable - they usually
partake largely of the
15character of the chief &
this one Gandochite is
polite - sky clearing
& South East wind is
the lower stratum
20now - It is the dry
season well begun
73 inches is a higher
rain fall than has
0019
been observed anywhere
else = even in Northern
Manyuema it was
lower in inches than
5here far South on the
watershed = In fact
this is the very heaviest
rainfall known in
these latitudes = between
10 50 & 60 in the maximum

one sees intermin-
grassy prairies with
lines of trees occupying
15 quarters of miles in
breadth & then to give
way to Buga or prairie
again - the Buga is
flooded annually
20but its vegetation is
dry land grasses =
Other Bugas extend
out from the Lake
0020
10 - 20 - 30 or even
40 miles and are
known by aquatic
vegetation Lotus -
5papyrus = arums -
rushes of different
species and many
kinds of purely
aquatic subaqueous
10plants that send up
their flowers only to
fructify in the sun
and then sink to
ripen, one bunch after
15another, others with
great cabbage looking
leaves seem to remain
at the bottom always
the young of fish
20swarm and bob in
and out from the
leaves = a species
0021
of soft moss grows
on most plants and
seems to be good
fodder for fishes
5fitted by hooked or
turned up noses to
guide it into their
maws = one species
of fish has the lower
10jaw turned down into
a hook which enables
the animal to hold
the mouth close to the
plant as it glides up
15or down sucking ^ in all
its soft pulpy food -
The superabundance
of gelatinous nutriment
makes the swarmers
20increase in bulk with
extraordinary rapidity

0022

13th April 1873 Contd

and make the food
supply of the people plen-
5-teous = the numbers
of fish caught by weirs
baskets, and nets now
as the waters decline
are prodigious = They
10feel the element becom
-ing insufficient for
comfort and retire
from one buga to
another towards the
15Lake, and the narrower
parts are duly prepared
by weirs to take ad-
-vantage of their neces
-sities the suns heat
20seems to oppress
them & force them to
flee
0023

With the South East
aerial current comes
heat, and sultriness -
a blanket is scarcely
5needed until the early
hours of the morning =
and here, after the
turtle doves and cocks
give out their warn-
10-ing calls to the watchful,
the fish eagle lifts
up his remarkable voice
It is pitched on a high
falsetto key - very
15loud, and seems as
if he were calling
to someone in the
other world = once
heard his weird un-
20earthly voice can
never be forgotten
It sticks to one through life

0024

13 April 1872 Contd

We were four hours
in being ferried over
5the Loitikila, or Lolo-
-tikila in four small
canoes and then 2
hours S-W- down its
left bank to another
10river where our camp
had been formed -
sent over a present
to the headman and
a man returned with
15the information that
he was ill at another
vil - but his wife
would seek canoes
tomorrow to trans-
20-port us over and
set us on our way
to Muawzabanza
0025
South West and
over Lolotikila again

5

14th at a branch of the
Lolotikila clear sky

25.90
26.11 # 7AM
66˚
10 25.70
AM 9 =
#29.93 # 9 AM
71˚
clear
15windy
26.14
25.71

20 3 PM
25.90 #80˚
clear
windy
26.10
25 25.68

15th cross Loitikila
again where it is only 50
yards by canoes = and
30went S.W. an hour
I being very weak had to
be carried a part of the
way and glad of resting
αίμα flow copiously
35last night, woman
wife of chief gave a
present of a goat & maize

0026

16th April 1873 - Went
S.W. 2½ hours and
crossed the Lombatwa R
of 100 yards = neck deep
5and flowing fast in
aquatic vegetation
Papyrus &c W. into the
Loitikila = In all about
S.W = 3

10

17th a tremendous rain
after dark burst all
our now rotten tent
to shreds - Went on at
156-35 for 3 hours = &
I who was suffering
severely all night had to
rest - got water near the
surface by digging in
20yellow sand - three hills
now appear in distance
course S.W 3¾ to a
0027
village on Kazya R
A Nyassa man declared
that his father had
brought the heavy rain
5of 16th on us - we crossed
three sponges

18th on leaving the
vil on Kazya we
10forded it & found it
70 yards broad - waist
to breast deep all over
a large weir spanned
& we went on the
15lower side of that -
much Papyrus & other
aquatic plants in it -
the fish retiring now
with the falling waters
20are guided into the
rush cones set for
them - crossed two
large sponges and
0028
I was forced to stop at
a village after SW 2
Ill all night = very = but
remembered that the
5bleeding & most other
ailments in this land
are forms of fever took
two scruple doses of
quinine & stopped it
10quite =

19th a fine bracing
S.E breeze kept me
on the donkey across
15a broad sponge and
over flats of white
sandy soil, and
much cultivation for
an hour and a half
20When we stopped at a
large village on the right
bank of and
men went over to the
chief Muanzabamba
0029
to ask canoes to cross
tomorrow = I am excessive
ly weak & but for the
donkey could not move
5 a hundred yards = It
is not all pleasure
this exploration - the
Lavusi hills are a
relief to the eye in
10this flat upland
their forms shew an
igneous origin = the
R. Kazya comes
from them and goes
15direct into the Lake =
no observations
now owing to great
weakness = I can
scarcely hold the
20pencil & my stick
is a burden = Tent
gone the men build
a good hut for me &
the luggage SW - 1 ½

0030

20th April 1873 = S. service
cross over the ^ sponge Moenda
for food & to be near the
headman of these parts
5 Muanzabamba - I am
excessively weak =
vil R Moenda ^ sponge 7 AM

25.88 #66˚
clouds
10high
26.12
25.70

cross Lukolu in a canoe
R. is about 30 yds broad
15 very deep and flowing
in marshes - 2 knots
from SSE to NNW
into Lake

20

21st Tried to ride but was
forced to lie down and
they carried me back to
vil. exhausted

25

22d carried in Kitanda
over Buga SW 2¼

0031

23d Do 1½

24 Do 1.

25th Do 1

26th Do 2½

5

to Kalungo Mofus
total 33˚ = 8¼

27 knocked up quite
10and remain = recover
sent to buy milch
goats - We are on the
banks of R Molilamo

0032

half scrople.
0033
11 o,cloak._night 28th. April

In the chest was found
about a shilling and
5half, and in another chest
his hat, 1 watch, and 2
small boxes of measuring
instrument and on in each box
there was one. 1 com-
10pass, 3 other kind of mea-
suring instrument;
4 other kind of measur
ing instrument.
And in other chest 3
15 and half and half drachmas
0034
0035

Nyemela = Tsessébe
Konze = Hartebeest
Dope = Wildebeest
Nyumbo = gnu

5

Kopa = Gandochite =

10

Lavusi Hills 3 S of
15vil Mueze R Kazya
comes from them - is
70 yards broad = waist
& breast deep now &
has a strong weir right
20across

0036
{figure}
0037
0038