Extract from Diary
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The Character of Wabisa Tribe -
The Wabisas are one of the bow & arrow tribes.
Some of them use spears without shields. They are
defficient in courage, cleanliness, and honest. In
some part of the country industrious people are to
be found in agriculturing. The principal corn
are meze or Indian corn, millet, Ulazi (a kind of
corn with small round seed). Numerous beans of
different sorts are to be found; but rice is not to be
found in any part. Cucumber, pumpkin, in some parts
bannanas, sweet potatoes & some esculent roots. They
generally never build permanent habitations like
other other nations, in two years or four the houses
are abandoned to inhabit another place. When they
salute their Chief, they kneel or role - down, clasping
hands, their garments are skins & prepared bark of
trees. Every sort of beads are useful on this region -
lead, & even shells are both used for exchange.
The people are so ignorant that they take the tins'
pieces for lead. When they, their sultan dies, [they] never
bury him in the same day. After 15 or some days
passes away and in the meantime a large or deep
sounded drums is beating at interval of every mi-
nute and when the appointed time comes, when
everyone gather to attend the ceremony of burying.
When a common person dies the body is made into
a bundle, after that is made to bury in the grave.
Two months had passed away in crossing the
country of Marungoo, & Fippa. The rivers are more
or less important, their banks are covered with im[-]
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=im=
impenetrable thick wood, in which the natives
themselves stores their whole provisions; which in the
time of war are useful to them. Some dig wells &
bury their corn in it. The country of Fipa is very
mountainous. The rivers & productions are same as
in Maronigoo. Rice is unknown except where there
are residences of caravan from the coast. In the cen-
ter of the region, there are very large fertil districts
of immense level and almost uncovered with wood
commanding tiresome & gloominess to the eyes. On the
8th day of October we arrived in the country called
Unkonongs or Unyawezi. When we had reached
in the town of Sultan Mboura, hearing the
interesting news, about the arrival of Oswell
Livingston, the son of great explourer we wrote
him a letter for Unyemnyeambe. After some
days when the messenger returned to us infor-
med us, that he was not Dr Livingston's son
but other different gentleman by name of Lieut
Cameron. When we heard this our hearts sunk
within us, or we rather were in dispair. But
Lieut Cameron had rescued us by sending
a bale of cloth and two tins of gun-powder.
Nearly at the beginning we at Unyanyembe
Lieut Cameron had accompanied two gentlemen
Mr Moffie & Dr Dillon the later died or killed
himself with a gun, when he was suffering with [a]
painful disease in his hents & was buried Novr
24th 1873. We had spent half a month or more
in Unayanyembe for the sake of business, or
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1
The account of the country of Unyamwezi
The country of Unyamwezi is well cutivated and the deserts
are covered with peculiar trees (called Majombo) these trees
is very useful to the inhabitants, it afords them not
only timber for building houses; but the most durable
bark which they strip from them are made into immense
bound baskets to preserve corn which answered the pur-
pose of barns. And again the bark can be turned into
round smaller boxes, strong ropes, prepared garments which
the inhabitants wear, and may be also turned into many
other things. Zebra, entelope, buffaloes, geraff, and many
other animals are found. The houses are low and flat
roofted covered with mud. The streams and rivers in this
country are but few, the language is difficult to unders[-]
tand. The account of Ugogo
The country of Ugogo is open, level and extensive country
and the people are bold and very proud in their own country[.]
They scarcely travel from one country to another. They only
stick to their own country. The tribute of the country to
the strangers is heavy; the country is most peopled
if not densely. They are very fond of cattle, same as bra[-]
mins in India who call the cows as their mother. The
soil is of reddish sand, and if more care be taken to
to the cultivation it will afford abundunt production[.]
In every city belonging to different - or distinct - admin[-]
istration, the strangers pay tribute or custom
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833
As to our march when we firs entered in country of Ugogo
on the ending of the month of February we came to the
frontiers of Ugogo the name of the chief of the place is -
Chiwiye, his city is situated on the river Mdabooro.
Here the tribute was paid. January 1st[.] Early in the
morning we started to a city called Koho, here the
tribute paid, in the night when we were asleep, a
she bear attacke or cought by the head one of the
dogs of the people in our caravan, and when the
screaming of of the dog was heard the bear was
shot dead in the spot, but the dog had recieved a very
severe wound by the bite. 2nd January To a town
called Seke, the third tribute or custom. here wet
a very large caravan from Zanzibar. 4th January
arrived to a town called Kanyenye in the centre of
Ugogo here the 4th tribute was paid. This King or sultan
its said that he is the greatest in Ugogo. This may we
had received a very heavy rain in the centre of Ugogo[.]
It was about 6 o,clock in the evening, hails also
fell accompanied with the rain, some of which were
so large as compared to [a] hen's egg. the violence of the
wind came from N.E. directions but it was much
inferior to what is called hurricane. 7th Jan. to the
Magomba's son 8th Jan Started morning early and
went encamped in the deset. 14th Jan we had a
mind to travel as far as to the other frontier
but we were interupted and made to halt by the
people of an inferior chief to pay them some custom
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833 2
which we did with great willingness, and on the day
following Early in the morning we started, and scarcely
marched about an hour we we again made to halt
for the same purpose of tribute to which we we did
On the same day we resumed our march to the King
Mawala the most thorny part of the country. some
clothes and also two guns, gunpowder, shots, gun-flint
and bullets were sent to the king acording to his de[-]
mand, generally in this country (country) the proper[-]
ties of the tributes or custom is sent as much as
the king wants; Sometimes it has so hapen that the
king refuses to take the tribute properties and the caravan
or the poor stranges are to cultivate, carry wood or
any work of that sort instead. 18th January -
Slept in the desert, in the dry seasons the water is
by no means found in this desert. 19th Jan arrived in
a small town call Chunyu, but the inhabitants
live in the hills[.] 20th Jan Started early in the
morning and about 5 hours march arrived in
town called Mpwapwa, we took our lodging
under the shady tree, here we met a European residing
in Mpwapwa he seems to be [a] good and kind gentlemen
for he made good reception to Mr Moffie. the next
day we sent some of our men to Zanzibar with
letters to the consul to give him the news of our
coming. Jan 22nd arrived in a town a town --
Toohugwe, on which famine prevales[.] 23rd Jan
started early and crossed a flat plain on which
which we found many animals, as mules, Zebra
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833
and large herds of other animals: after 5 hours march
we halted to have a dinner only for a time and at
one o,clock we resumed our march. about 5 o,clock
we arrived in a halting place, on which we we slept
but the water was very far to a great distance.
24th Jan. Early started and after crossing a very
rugged mountainous road arrived in a town called
Kitangay were found a large trading caravan
waiting the arrival of others from Zanzibar, when
had approached the town, they came and meet us
with usual drum and a trumpet or horn in the
dead of night when we were quiet asleep in our huts
a bear entered and wanted to take hold of one of our
soldiers leg but the man had recieved a very little
injury; Jan 25th started early but the road were
very hilly, we stopped on the way to drink water
in one of the brooks were we waited about half an
hour for some of us were behind. 30th Jan in a village
31st Jan in a village.
February 1st Leaving Usagar arrived to frontiers of
Uzigua on the river Mkata or Wame at this time
we found the river swelled or over flowed its banks
and the former bridge were washed away, by the violence
and rapid stream, and now ^ we were obliged to build a new
one across the river, thus with great difficulty some
of the soliders got to the other side, but the bridge
being again broken, the rest remain to pass the (the)
night on the same bank, and to crossed the next
morning, and so we got over safely to the other side.
Item Details
Author(s) & contributor(s): James Christie; Jacob Wainwright
Date(s): [November 1873-February 1874]
Place(s) of creation: [East Africa]
Form & transmission history: Manuscript diary in author’s hand.
Object description: Loose beige diary pages with minor discoloration, with one hand in brown ink plus one in blue ink.
Repository: David Livingstone Centre (Blantyre, United Kingdom)
Shelfmark / Identifier: 833
Digital edition & date: One More Voice, 2020
Critical editing & encoding: Anne Martin, Heather F. Ball, Adrian S. Wisnicki
Cite this digital edition (MLA): Christie, James; Jacob Wainwright. “Extract from Diary” ([November 1873-February 1874]). Anne Martin, Heather F. Ball, Adrian S. Wisnicki, eds. One More Voice, site launch edition, 2020, https://onemorevoice.org/html/transcriptions/liv_000075_TEI.html.
Rights: Critically-edited text copyright Livingstone Online/One More Voice. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Explore complete/original item: Livingstone Online
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