The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-05-05
Ujiji.

Ujiji, or Kawele, as Cameron usually
styles it, is on the eastern shore of Lake
Tanganyika, about a quarter of the dis
lance from the northern end of the lake.
1t is very nearly in latitude deg. S.,
longitude 80 deg. E., about 600 miles
little north of west from Zanzibar, and
about 900 miles from the west coast.
The Mteme, or head chief of the country
of Ujiji, lives in village at some dis
lance from the lake; but every district is
ruled over by a Mutwale, who is usually
assisted by three or four Wateko, or
elders. The natives are fine-looking
good smiths and porters, and expert fish
ermen, but their reputation for honesty
and sobriety is more than dubious. Their
dress is usually single piece of bark
cloth, two corners of which are tied in
knot over one shoulder and passing I'M
der the opposite armpit. The chiefs
usually wear colored cloths, bought from
the traders, instead of bark cloth, but
worn in the same manner. There are
number of Arab traders settled here, of
whom three must be mentioned as hav-
ing subsequently exercised considera-
BILE influence over the fortunes of Came
ron and his party. These were Moham-
med ibn Salib, "a fine portly old half
caste Arab" who had not been east of
Ujiji since 1912, and although he held
no official authority from the Sultan of
Zanzibar was looked upon by the traders
as their head; Syde Mezrui, also half
caste, a kind of speculator," great
braggart, and, as afterward proved, a
great rascal and Muinyi Hassani, a slave
trader.
Cameron was assured that it would be
impossible to travel west of the lake for
at least three months, until the rainy
season was over.
About the only thing that could be
done during the period of waiting was to
make a voyage around the lake. Stanley
and Livingstone had sailed around the
northern part above Ujiji, but the south
ern and much larger portion was I'M
known to Europeans, although, as we
know from his Last Journals, Living
stone had made almost the entire circuit
of its shore. The first difficulty was to
procure a boat. The only one large
enough for the purpose belonged toSyde
ibn Habib, and this was hired at an eX-
orbitant price, and after much difficult
ty in contriving the mode of payment.
Syde wanted ivory, but Cameron had
none. Ibn Salib had ivory, but would
sell it only for cloth, of which Cameron
was destitute; but 1bn Gharib had cloth,
and wanted wine, which Cameron had.
So the wine was sold for the cloth, the
| cloth for the ivory, and the ivory paid
over for the boat.
The principal sight at Ujiii is the mar
ket, held every morning and afternoon
in an open space near the shore. 1t is
attended by all the tribes bordering on
the lake, who bring -four, corn, sweet
potatoes, yams, bananas, tobacco, Gu.
cumbers, pombe, palm-oil, palm-wine,
sugarcane, salt, fish, meats, baskets,
nets, spears, bows, bark cloth, pottery,
iron work, etc. Many of the vendors
build small arbors to shelter them from
the sun. There are also traders who
come from distance to dispose of their
ivory and slaves. All bargaining is car
ried on at the top of the voice, and the
din is deafening. The currency of trade
here is soft, a kind of beads looking like
broken pieces of pipe-stems, all prices
being estimated in this; but they are not
actually current as money. In the morn
ing brokers 90 around with soft, which
they sell for other beads; and in the
evening they buy up the soft, making
handsome percentage on both transac-
tions.-Fr0n CamerOn's Journey across
Africa," By 4. II. Guernsey, IN Harper's
Magazine for May.