Fragment of 1870 Field Diary (LXXVIII-LXXXVII)
David Livingstone

Date of composition: 24 January-19 February 1871
Place of composition: Bambarre; Manyema
Repository: National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Shelfmark: MS.10703, ff. 27-31
Clendennen & Cunningham number(s): Field Diaries, 037
Digital edition and date: Livingstone Online, 2016
Publisher: University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, MD, USA
Project id: liv_000209
TEI encoding: Adrian S. Wisnicki, Megan Ward, Heather F. Ball, Ashanka Kumari, Alexander Munson

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LXXVIII 24th January 1871 - Muhamad mentioned [27]
this morning that Moenemokaia & Moeneghere his
brother brought about thirty slaves from Katanga
to Ujiji affected with swelled Thyroid glands
5or Goitre and that drinking the water of Tang-
anyika proved a perfect cure to all in a very
few days. Sometimes the swelling went
down in two days after they began to use the
water in their ordinary way of cooking washing
10and drinking - Possibly some ingredient of
the hot fountain that flows into it - for the
people on the Lofubu in Isana's country had
the swelling - Shut in bays were decidedly
brackish while the body of Tanganyika was
15quite fresh -

The odour of putrid elephant's meat in a house kills
parrots - The Manyema keep it till quite rotten
but know its fatal effects on their favorite
birds

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LXXIX. 28th January 1871 - a safari under Hassani
and Ebed arrived with news of great mortality
by cholera (Towny) at Zanzibar - and my "brother"
who I conjecture to be Dr Kirk has fallen - The men
5I wrote for have come to Ujiji but did not know
my whereabouts - When told by Katomba's men
they will come here - and bring my much longed
for letters & goods - 70,000 thousand victims in
Zanzibar alone! and it spread inland to the
10 Masai and Ugogo - cattle shivered and fell dead
the fishes in the sea died in great numbers. Here
the fowls were first seized and died and then men -
thirty perished in our small camp made still
smaller by all the able men being off trading at the
15 Metamba and how many Manyema died we
dont know - The survivors became afraid of
eating the dead - Formerly the pest kept along
the sea shore now it goes far inland and will
spread all over Africa - This we get from Mecca
20filth - nothing was done to prevent the place being
made a perfect cesspool of animals guts & ordure of men

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LXXX -- a piece of skin bound round chest of an arm & half of 28
it hanging down prevents waste of his strength and he
forgets and fattens ----

Abed's party bring 200 Frasilahs of all sorts of beads &
5They will cross Lualaba & open a new field in the
other or Young's Lualaba - all central Africa {figure}
will soon be known - The evils inflicted by
these Arabs are enormous but probably not greater
than the people inflict on each other -----

10

Merere has turned against the Arabs and killed one
robbing several others of all they had though he has
ivory sufficient to send down 7000 lbs of ivory to the
coast and recieve loads of goods for 500 men - He
looks as if insane & probably is so - He will soon be
15killed - His insanity may be the effect of Pombe of
which he drinks largely - and his people may have
told him that the Arabs were plotting with Goambari
He restored Muhamad's ivory and slaves and sent for
the other traders who had fled - said his people had
20 spoken badly and he would repay all losses -

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LXXXI Two young elephants were sent by Mteza to
Seyed Majid by was of the Lewale - Watuta came stealing
Banyamwezi cattle & Mteza's men went out to them
and twenty two were killed The Lewale's people did nothing
5The Governor's sole anxiety is to obtain ivory and no
aid is rendered to the traders Seyed Suleiman the wanzeer
is the author of the do nothing policy - Sent away all the
Sepoys as too expensive an old man & avaricious
The [ ]Bagogo plunder traders unchecked = one of the
10young elephants died in the way to the coast - It is
reported that Egyptian turks came up & attacked
Mteza but lost many people and fled - A Moslem
mission to Mteza was a falsehood though the
details given were circumstantial - Falsehood
15is so common one can believe nothing the Arabs
say unless confirmed of other evidence - They are
followers of the Prince of lies Muhamad - His cool
appropriation of the knowledge gained at Damascus
and from the Jews is perfectly disgusting - All his
20deeds were done when unseen by any witnesses

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LXXXII. It is worth noticing that all admit the decadence 29
of the Moslem power and they ask how it is fallen -
they seem sincere in their devotions & reading the Koran
but its meaning is comparatively hid from most of the
5 Suaheli - the Persian Arabs are said to be gross
idolators and awfully impure - Earth from a grave
at Kurbelosi's put in the turban and worshipped - some of the
sects wont say "Amen"!

Moenyegumbe never drank more than a mouthful
10of pombe - He said the wisdom of a chief is dangerous
He kills people and it ought never to be excited by beer -
When young he could make his spear pass right through
[ ]n elephant and stick in the ground on the other side -
He was a large man and all his members were largely
15developed - hands fingers all in proportion to his great
height - lived to old age with strength unimpaired --
Goambari inherits his white colour and sharp nose =
but not his wisdom or courage - Merere killed five of his
own people for exciting him "against the Arabs -" the
20half caste is the murderer of many of charura's
descendants - His father got a [ ] ^ daughter of Moenyegumbe
for courage in fighting the Babena of Ubena

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LXXXIII. my long detention in Manyema leads me to
believe that they are truly a bloody people - cold blooded
murders are frightfully common and they say that but for
our presence they would ^ be still more frequent - They have no
5fear of spears and shields - guns alone frighten them - they
tell us frankly and quite truly that but for our firearms not
one of us should even return to his country - some kill
in order to be allowed to wear the red tail feathers of a
parrot in their hair - and they are not ugly like the West
10coast negroes many men have as finely formed heads as
would be found in London - We English if naked would
make but a poor figure beside the strapping forms and
finely shaped limbs of Manyema men & women - their
cannibalism is doubtful but my observations raise
15grave suspicions a Scotch jury would say "not proven"
The women are not guilty -

The cholera came along the seashore from Mecca but
this year it came inland and made great havoc - Goats
and fowls died not by the pest but by its companion
20[ ] cattle shivered and fell dead - about 30 people died in
our small camp and how many Manyema we dont know
Letters from Mecca told of its coming from that focus
of filth but ta{h}e rest of the world must do nothing for
political economy says we must not interfere

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LXXXIV - 4th February 1871 - Ten of my men from 30 the
coast have come near to Bambarre and will arrive today
I am extremely thankful to hear it for it assures me
that my packet of letters was not destroyed - they know
5at home by this time what has detained me and the
end to which I strain

Do only one letter reached and 40 are missing - James
was killed today by an arrow - the assassin was hid
in the forest till my men going to buy food came
10up - I propose to leave on the 12th I have
sent Dr Kirk a cheque for Rs 4000 Four thous-
-and - Great havoc was made by cholera and
in the midst of it my friend exerted himself
greatly to get men off to me with goods - First
15gang of porters all died. When they came to Ujiji
Sherreef the head man stopped wth four and
is now feasting & drinking on my goods though
he knows me to be here -

8th The ten men refusing to go North influenced
20probably be Shereef & my two ringleaders who
# try this means to compel me to take them

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LXXXV 9th February 1871 - the man who contrived the
murder of James came here drawn by the pretence that he
was needed to lead a party against the villages which he
led to commit the outrage - His thirst for blood is awful
5He was bound & word sent to bring the actual murders within
3 days or he suffers death - He brought 5 goats think that would
smooth the matter over

11th Men struck work for higher wages - I consented
to give them 6 six dollars a month if they be-
10-haved well - If ill, I diminish it - so we hope
to start tomorrow - another mutiny quelled by M & me

12th the men sent are all slaves of the Banians &
came with a lie in their mouths - They were lascars
15or soldiers - they objected to going today so I wait
till tomorrow = orders given today not attended to
so I had to treat them as slaves and promised
on the word of an Englishman that I would shoot
the ringleader against my orders - Muhamad
20swore that he would kill them if they contended with
me and they gave in and but for Mabruki sick
we should go [ ] tomorrow

Unyembe 6 six dotis each
to Ujiji 3 three each of the Pagazi
25three pagasi 4 four [ ] each Ghamees Sudi Salem
from 12th February onw ards

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LXXXVI 13th Feby 1871 - Mabruki seized with [31]
choleraic purging detains us today - gave Muhamad
5 Pieces amerikano 5 Do Kanike & 2 frasilahs samsam
He gives me a note to Hassani for 20 thick copper bracelets
5 Yesterday crowds came to eat the meat of the man who
misled James to his death spot - We want the man
who set the Mbanga men to shoot him - They were much
disappointed when the found that no one was killed
and are undoubtedly cannibals
10 [ ]
1[ ]th Friday - started today Mabruki making himself
very ill as all who have been at Nassick coddling school
do Muhamad roused him out by telling how I travelled
when much worse - chief gave me a goat & Muhamad an
15 go{other} but in coming through the forest on the neck of the
mountain the men lost three & have to go back for them
and return tomorrow - Simon & Ibram were bundled
[ ] camp and imprudently followed me when they ca[ ]
up I told them to be off or I would certainly shoot them

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LXXXVII. 17th waiting at a village on the Western slope
for the men to come up with their goats if they have
gone back to the camp - Muhamad would not allow
the deserters to remain among his people nor would
5it would only be to imbue the minds of my slav[ ]s
with their want of respect for all English and total
disregard of honesty & honour - They came after me
with inimitable effrontery believing that though I said
that I would not take them - they were so valuable I
10was only saying what I knew to be false - I warned
them off and they went away among Manyema -

The goats were brought by a Manyema man who
found one fallen in a pitfall & dead - He ate it & brought
one of his own in lieu of it - I gave him 10 strings of
15beads & he presented a fowl in token of good willl -

18th went on to a village on the Lulwa and on the
19th reached Moenemgoi who dissuaded me so
earnestly against going to Moenekurumbo for the
canoe of Molembalemba that I agreed not to venture

20

20th to ford only one canoe now as 2 men of
Katomba were swept away in the other & drowned
They would not sell the remaining canoe so I go
N W on foot to Moene Lualaba where five large
canoes are abundant - grass & mud grievous but
25my men lift me over [ ] waters 21st Moenendebas

Mr andso twill be
When I am gone