The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places (52 page)

Such is the forest of Behobeho. In the heart of this dense mass of vegetation there is a winding open space, dotted with trees, labyrinthine in its character, here opening into wider areas,
there leading into deceptive
culs-de-sac.
This space is dotted over with native huts, regardless of order, which form the village. The dwellings are of a different style from any we have as
yet seen. The quadrangular huts of the Wazaramo are represented here by simple circular ones, with low walls, huge conical roofs, and broad overhanging eaves. Few of them are more than eight feet
in diameter, and as there are neither chimneys nor windows, the smoke of the fires must escape by the low doorway. Among these huts you may observe the natives at their several occupations, attired
in scanty loin cloths, and with undressed hair.

Having thus reached Behobeho with such pleasant surroundings as these, new hope for our leader’s recovery rose within us. Here surely were all the elements to please the eye, and by their
charming novelty to infuse new vigour into mind and body! It soon, alas! became evident that we had come too late. We built a quadrangular hut for Mr. Johnston, as being more cool and commodious
than the tent, and into this we removed him. He was, however, sinking fast, and little or no food passed his lips. To add to his agonies, a dreadful convulsive cough, the result of extreme
exhaustion, rarely left him. We made but poor advisers. I myself had not the remotest acquaintance with illness of any kind, and could give no advice as to treatment, and I suppose I was but a
rough nurse, though I did my best.

To employ some of my spare time during this detention, I made a short excursion to the prominent mountain occurring S.S.W. of Behobeho. Crossing the small stream which winds beside the village,
we traversed a broken piece of country, passed over a high ridge of sandstone which lay in front of the mountain, and reached the base of the latter, where a small stream occurs flowing south to
the Ruaha. Here I for the first time got a shot at a herd of antelopes. I have no doubt I missed, though at the time I flattered myself that I saw one looking rather shaky on its legs.

I was very much struck by the symmetrical appearance of the mountain, which rejoiced in the name of Mkulima-hatambula. It rose like some magnificent cyclopean monument. It is quadrangular in
shape, the upper half sitting on the lower as a base, with a flat terrace round the bottom of the former. The sides of both the upper and the lower parts rise almost perpendicularly, and give the
whole such an artificial appearance as to suggest the idea of a huge monument.

I attempted to ascend to the top, but became so sick that I had to give it up and return.

On examination the peculiar shape was seen to arise from its geological structure, which was that of a series of lava beds intercalated between beds of fine chocolate-coloured sandstone in the
lower part, and greyish-red coarse sandstone in the upper. The lava not being very decomposable, has resisted denuding influences longer than the sandstone, which has got worn away, till a broad,
flat terrace of about half a mile lies between the base of the upper and the edge of the lower part. The sandstone which forms these hills belongs to the carboniferous system, and is found
stretching along the coast from about the Equator to the Cape. The intercalated igneous rocks are volcanic, and contemporaneous, lying conformable to the sandstone.

I have taken the liberty to substitute the name of Mount Johnston for the uncouth one of Mkulima-hatambula.

I at this time became subject to attacks of ague, which came on regularly at four o’clock in the afternoon.

On the night of the 22nd June the camp was thrown into an uproar by the arrival of men from Dar-es-Salaam, bringing our letters. It was a hard struggle for poor Johnston to get through his. To
me there is something inexpressibly touching in the idea of a person situated as he was, trying with dazed eyes to read the many pleasant inquiries from friends at home, the hopes of a successful
expedition, and that he was enjoying good health, and yet feeling that he was rapidly sinking into the grave, with his great work prematurely closed.

He now became frequently insensible, and gradually grew worse, until the 28th, when he finished his career. For the first time in my life I saw death, and I felt myself alone to take upon me the
great responsibilities of leading what appeared to be a very forlorn hope.

One of the most promising of explorers who had ever set foot on African shores, Johnston has met his fate, and is numbered with the long list of geographical martyrs who have attempted to break
through the barriers of disease and barbarism which make the interior almost impenetrable. It needs no words of mine to establish the fame of my late gallant leader, or to prove his unequalled
qualification for the work laid out for him. These are well known to every one. But this I will say of him, that his whole soul was in his work, that not the slightest opportunity of adding to our
exact knowledge of Africa was missed. Night and day he was ever on the alert, even when tortured by disease, and never satisfied except he himself saw everything done. Full of enthusiasm, and in
every respect a scientific traveller, he would have led the Expedition in a clear, well-defined pathway. Without him the way seemed dark and uncertain indeed.

The position into which I was thus thrown was one of peculiar difficulty, and the question arose within me whether I should go forward or not. I was myself ill with fever. I was almost totally
destitute of the special scientific knowledge of a geographical traveller; in fact, I knew little of anything that was most needful to know; and my age was but twenty-two. But though the question
arose, it was soon disposed of. With my foot on the threshold of the unknown, I felt I must go forward, whatever might be my destiny. Was I not the countryman of Bruce, Park, Clapperton, Grant,
Livingstone, and Cameron? Though the mantle of Mr. Johnston’s knowledge could not descend upon me, yet Elijah-like he left behind him his enthusiasm for geographical research, and I resolved
to carry out his designs as far as lay in my power.

It would not do to let the men imagine that there was any hesitation about my future movements, and I stepped from the hut with my purpose distinctly defined. A basket coffin was at once
constructed, and a space cleared in the dense forest. On the day following our leader’s death we laid him in his last resting-place, where his grave is now green, as his memory will ever be.
He lies at the foot of a large tree festooned with graceful creepers, under an arbour of dense evergreen bushes. His name and the date of his death are carved on the bark of the tree, and the chief
of the village has undertaken to keep the place clear – a contract, I have since heard, he is faithfully carrying out.

LANDFALL AT BOTANY BAY

James Cook

(1728–79)

The son of a Yorkshire farm labourer, Cook won distinction as a naval hydrographer but was still a controversial choice to command a voyage of scientific observation to the
Pacific in 1768. Its results, including the first coastal surveys of New Zealand and eastern Australia, led to a second voyage to the south Pacific and a third to the north Pacific, during which he
was killed in a fracas with the Hawaiians. It was a tragic end for one whose humble origins disposed him to respect indigenous peoples. “They are far happier than we Europeans", he noted of
Australia’s aborigines following a brief encounter at Botany Bay (Sydney), the first European landing on the Pacific coast, in 1770.

S
aturday 28th April
In the p.m. hoisted out the pinnace and yawl in order to attempt a landing but the pinnace took in the water so fast
that she was obliged to be hoisted in again to stop her leakes. At this time we saw several people a shore four of whom were carrying a small boat or canoe which we imagined they were going to put
into the water in order to come off to us but in this we were mistaken. Being now not above two miles from the shore Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, Tupia and myself put off in the yawl and pull’d
in for the land to a place where we saw four or five of the natives who took to the woods as we approached the shore, which disapointed us in the expectation we had of geting a near view of them if
not to speak to them; but our disapointment was heighten’d when we found that we nowhere could effect a landing by reason of the great surff which beat every where upon the shore. We saw
hauld up upon the beach 3 or 4 small canoes which to us appear’d not much unlike the small ones of New Zeland in the woods were several trees of the palm kind and no under wood and this was
all we were able to observe from the boat after which we returned to the ship about 5 in the evening. At this time it fell calm and we were not above a mile and a half from shore in a II fathom
water and within some breakers that lay to the southward of us, but luckily a light breeze came off from the land which carried us out of danger and with which we stood to the northward. At day
light in the morning we discovered a bay which appeared to be tollerably well sheltered from all winds into which I resoloved to go with the ship and with this view sent the master in the pinnace
to sound the entrance while we kept turning up with the ship haveing the wind right out. At noon the entrance bore NNW distance I mile.

Sunday 29th
In the p.m. winds southerly clear weather with which we stood into the bay and anchor’d under the south shore about 2 Mile within the entrence in 6
fathoms water, the south point bearing SE and the north point east. Saw as we came in on both points of the bay several of the natives and a few hutts, men, women and children on the south shore
abreast of the ship, to which place I went in the boats in hopes of speaking with them accompaned by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander and Tupia; as we approached the shore they all made off except two men
who seemed resolved to oppose our landing. As soon as I saw this I ordered the boats to lay upon their oars in order to speake to them but this was to little purpose for neither us nor Tupia could
understand one word they said. We then threw them some nails, beeds etc. ashore which they took up and seem’d not ill pleased in so much that I thout that they beckon’d to us to come a
shore; but in this we were mistaken, for as soon as we put the boat in they again came to oppose us upon which I fired a musket between the two which had no other effect than to make them retire
back where bundles of their darts lay, and one of them took up a stone and threw at us which caused my fireing a second musquet load with small short, and altho some of the short struck the man yet
it had no other effect than to make him lay hold of a shield or target to defend himself. Emmidiatly after this we landed which we had no sooner done than they throw’d two darts at us, this
obliged me to fire a third shott soon after which they both made off, but not in such haste but what we might have taken one, but Mr. Banks being of opinion that the darts were poisoned, made me
cautious how I advanced into the woods. We found here a few small hutts made of the bark of trees in one of which were four or five small children with whome we left some strings of beeds etc. A
quantity of darts lay about the hutts these we took away with us. Three canoes lay upon the beach the worst I think I ever saw, they were about 12 or 14 feet long made of one peice of the bark of a
tree drawn or tied up at each end and the middle kept open by means of peices of sticks by way of thwarts.

Capt. James Cook, from a painting by N. Dance. Courtesy of the Mansell Collection.

After searching for fresh water without success except a little in a small hole dug in the sand, we embarqued and went over to the north point of the bay where in coming in we saw several
people, but when we now landed there were no body to be seen. We found here some fresh water which came trinkling down and stood in pools among the rocks; but as this was troblesome to come at I
sent a party of men a shore in the morning to the place where we first landed to dig holes in the sand by which means and a small stream they found fresh water sufficient to water the ship. The
strings of beeds etc. we had left with the children last night were found laying in the hut this morning, probably the natives were afraid to take them away. After breakfast we sent some empty
casks a shore and a party of men to cut wood and I went my self in the pinnace to sound and explore the bay, in the doing of which I saw several of the natives but they all fled at my approach. I
landed in two places one of which the people had but just left, as there were small fires and fresh muscles broiling upon them – here likewise lay vast heaps of the largest oyster shells I
ever saw.

Monday 30th
As soon as the wooders and waterers were come on board to dinner 10 or 12 of the natives came to the watering place and took away there canoes that lay there
but did not offer to touch any one of our casks that had been left ashore, and in the after noon 16 or 18 of them came boldly up to within 100 yards of our people at the watering place and there
made a stand. Mr. Hicks who was the officer ashore did all in his power to entice them to him by offering them presents etc. but it was to no purpose, all they seem’d to want was for us to be
gone. After staying a short time they went away. They were all arm’d with darts and wooden swords, the darts have each four prongs and pointed with fish bones, those we have seen seem to be
intended more for strikeing fish than offensive weapons neither are they poisoned as we at first thought. After I had returnd from sounding the bay I went over to a cove on the north side where in
3 or 4 hauls with the saine we caught above 300 pounds weight of fish which I caused to be equally divided among the Ships Company. In the a.m. I went in the pinnace to sound and explore the north
side of the bay where I neither met with inhabitants or any thing remarkable. Mr. Green took the suns meridion altitude a little with[in] the south entrence of the bay which gave the latitude
34°o's.