The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-26
THE STORY OF TIPPU TIB.
HOW A GREAT FORTUNE WAS WON
FROM IVORY.
How Tippu Tricked an African Tribe
STANLEY Tells of the Rise of the
Chief Who Played Him False-A
Broad ard Deserted Track.

Up to 1876 Tippu Tip had been the ac-
knowledged leader of the slavers, on ac-
count of his marvellous success, writes
Henry NJ. Stanley in Harper's Maya
zine. His career had been romantic
From poor coast SLAYER, involved in
debt to the usurers and money-lenders
of Zanzibar, he has grown wealthy and
famous. BY the storming and capture
of Nsama's stronghold MAY, 1861 he
had become possessed of a fortune in
ivory and slaves. He had relieved him.
self as soon as possible of his embarrass-
ing store by sending his brother Mo
manned in charge of his plumber to
Unyanyembe, and, with 500 guns, con-
tinued a triumphant and unchecked
course from the south of Tanganike,
through the heart of Ruv, to Nyangwe.
AS he marched he ravaged to the right
and left Of his route. gathered ivory and
made slaves by hundreds
Not far from a district called Mtotila
he learned from a captive that the king
had disappeared mysteriously many
years before. and that. though frequent
search had been made for him. nothing
was known of his whereabouts. Tippu
resenting himself as his son. and accord
ingly schooled himself in all the local
knowledge necessary for the deception
he intended to practice. BY the time he
approached Mtotila Tippu Tip could re-
hearse the long line of the kings ances-
try. the names of his living relatives
and the elders of the land. and was
familiar with the events. traditions and
customs Of Mtotila- He dispatched mes
sengers into the country to announce
his arrival. and to tell the wondering
people the news of his fathers fate and
OF his intention to assume his fathers
rights.
The people accepted the story without
difficulty. as it harmonized so well with
their own conceptions and expectations.
The elders were deputed to go and meet
their prince. They brought rich presents
of ivory and abundance of food and of
fered to escort him with honor TO his
fathers land. which Tippu lib courte-
ously accepted. At every stage of his
journey he was welcomed and Toasted.
On reaching the town of Mtotila he re-
ceived the chiefs and elders in a grand
barzah at which he told the story of
his fathers disappearance, with a wealth
of fictitious details of love and marriage
with kings daughter, of honors be-
slowed upon his father, and Of the re-
luctanCe to his departure which the ma
tlves manifested; of his own birth and
life. Of his recollections of his fathers
conversations with him respecting the
Mtotila country, his relatives and local
events-until all were thoroughly per-
suaded that this able and affable stran-
ger was no other than their lost kings
son.
He was at once formally accepted and
installed as their king; and TO ingratiate
himself still more he distributed liberal
largess of snowy beads and copper and
brass trfnkets. Before many days had
passed the people Of Mtotila understood
that ivory was very acceptable to their
king, and as the article was abundant
and OF little value to them, the entire
country was ransacked for it, and heaps
of it were daily laid before him. until
his store of ivory became prodigious
Breaches Of the peace between his sub
Jects were compounded by payment in
ivory; his favOrs We're sold for ivory: i'm
every imaginable way he augmented his
treasure.
Finally, when he had depleted Mtotila
OF elephants teeth, he sought occasion
10 embrotl Mtotila with the surrounding
countries, and his myrmidons were dis
patched with the native forces to de-
spoil them. Within fifteen months he
had gathered 900 tusks. He proposed
now to the Mtotilas that they should
muster carriers to convey his treasure
10 kasOngO. another country which. ac-
cording to his reports. he owned where
he had great houses and his great es-
tates. In this manner he succeeded in
obtaining vast wealth, and the Arabs
OF the Manyuema settlements, when
they viewed his vast store of ivory and
lnnumerable retinue hailed him as a
genius and recognized his superiority.
Inc general admiration which had
been excited by his genius had greatly
subsided by the time / reached Nyang-
we in 1876 He was then induced to es-
cort my transafrican expedition a few
marches north of Nyangwe and on his
return he undertook the transport of his
immense collection of ivory to Zanzibar
where 1T is said that he realized f39. 600
Dy Its sale. Out of these lucrative re-
turns he was able to pay the usurers of
Zanzibar the advances of money he had
received, with the heavy interest ac-
cruing, and with the residue he equipped
his large force with the best weapons
procurable. In 1881 he was back again
in Manyuema, and witnessed with his
own eyes the Decentralization of the
ivory and slaves obtained by Abod-bin-
Salim's agents. Fired at the sight. he
lost no time in making his prepare
lions for a second great campaign. which
should excel in results his own previ-
cesseS.
He divided his forces in two divisions
The land force he dispatched under his
nephew, Rashid, to the Lumami; the flo
tilla descending the Lualaba he led him
self, assisted by his brother and son.
The vessels were navigated by the Wen
va fishermen, whom during his long res
idence in Manyuema he had protected
and propitiated. These people num-
bered several thousands and were scat
tered along the left bank of the river
from the confluence of the Luama to
Stanley falls.
The cataracts were therefore no inter-
ruption to Tippu Tbs progress or his
projects. On a large island just above
the lowest Of the Stanley falls, called
Wane Sironga (Sons of Sironga), Tippu
halted and established his headquarters
whence he was to operate on the left
bank as far as the Lumami in connec-
ton with his nephew Rashid. But for
some months before his arrival Abed-
bin-Salim's agents had extended their
depredations below the falls along the
right bank, leaving a broad desolate
track as a witness of their crimes.
The Ton EIaor tho HaaIfbkasf