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A
Multispectral Critical Edition
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Livingstone produced at least three narratives of the massacre he
witnessed in Nyangwe on 15 July 1871. One narrative appeared in the
1871 Field Diary, another in the 1872 Journal. He included an
additional narrative, which he composed between the former two, in a
letter to Earl Granville dated 14 November 1871. Stanley brought this
letter back to England and it was published in the Parliamentary Papers
of 1872, vol. LXX [C-598], 10-15, making it the only narrative of the
massacre by Livingstone published in Livingstone’s lifetime.
However, Livingstone also copied over this letter in the 1872 Journal
where the letter in fact precedes the Journal’s narrative of
the massacre (the letter appears on pages 565-83, the journal entries
describing the massacre on 691-96). The transcription that follows
corresponds to the copy of the letter in the 1872 Journal (575-79). |
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[575] […] Two days
afterwards o[r] on the 15th of June a massacre was perpetrated which
filled me with such intolerable loathing that I resolved to yield to
the Banian slaves = return to Ujiji get men from the coast –
and try to finish the rest of my work by going outside the area of
Ujijian bloodshed instead of vainly trying from its interior outwards
–
[576] Dugumbe and his
people built their huts on the right bank of Lualaba at a market place
called Nyangwe – On hearing that the head slave of a trader
at Ujiji had in order to get canoes cheap, mixed blood with the headmen
of the Bagenya on the left bank of the were disgusted with his
assurance and resolved to punish him and make an impression in the
country in favour of their own greatness by an assault on the market
people, and on all the Bagenya who had dared to make friendship with
any but themselves Tagamoio the principal undertrader of
Dugumbe’s party was the perpetrator – The market
was attended every fourth day by between 2000 and 3000 people
– It was held on a long slope of land which down at the river
ended in a creek capable of containing between fifty and sixty large
canoes – The majority of the market people were women, many
of them very pretty – The people west of the river brought
fish salt pepper oil grass cloth iron fowls goats sheep pigs in great
numbers to exchange with those East of the river for cassava, grain,
potatoes and other farinaceous products – They have a strong
sense of natural justice and all unite to force each other to fair
dealing At first all were afraid of my presence but wishing to gain
their confidence which my enemies tried to undermine or prevent, I went
among them frequently and when they saw no harm in me became very
gracious – The bargaining was the finest acting I ever saw I
[577] understood but few of the words that flew off their glib tongues of the
women but their gestures spoke plainly – I took sketches of
the fifteen varieties of fish brought in to compare them with those of
the Nile lower down – and all were eager to tell their names
but on the date referred to I had left the market only a minute or two
when three men whom I had seen with guns and felt inclined to reprove
them for bringing them into the market but had refrained by attributing
it to ignorance in new comers – They began to fire into the
dense crowd around them another party down at the canoes rained their
balls on the panic struck multitude that rushed into these vessels
– all threw away their goods the men forgot their paddles
– The canoes were jammed in the creek and could not be got
out quick enough – so many men & women sprang into
the water = The women of the left bank are expert divers for oysters =
and a long line of heads shewed a crowd striking out for an island a
mile off = To gain it they had to turn the left shoulder ^ \against/ a
current of between a mile and a half to two miles an hour = Had they
gone diagonally with the current, though that would have been three
miles, many would have gained the shore It was horrible to see one head
after another disappear – Some calmly – others
throwing their arms high up towards the Great Father and going down
– some of the men who got canoes out of the crowd paddled
quickly with hands and arms to help their friends Three took people in
till they all sank together – one man had clearly lost his
head for he paddled a canoe which [578] would have held fifty people straight
up stream = nowhere = The Arabs estimated the loss at between 400
& 500 souls – Dugumbe sent out some of his men in one
of thirty canoes which the owners ^ \in their fright/ could not
extricate to save the sinking – one lady refused to be taken
on board because she thought that she was to be made a slave but he
rescued twenty one and of his own accord sent them next day home Many
escaped and came to me and were restored to their friends –
When the firing began on the terror stricken crowd at the canoes
– Tagamoio’s band began their assault on the people
West of the river and continued the fire all day I counted seventeen
villages in flames and next day six – Dugumbe’s
power over the underlings is limited but he ordered them to cease
shooting – those of Tagamoio’s party in the market
were so reckless they shot two of their own number –
Tagamoio’s crew came back next day in canoes shouting and
firing off their guns as if believing that they were worthy of renown
– Next day about twenty head men fled from the West bank and
came to my house – There was no occasion now to tell them
that the English had no desire for human blood – They begged
hard that I should go over with them and settle with them and arrange
where the new dwellings of each should be – I was so ashamed
of the bloody Moslem company in which I found myself that I was unable
to look at the Manyema – I confessed my grief and shame and
was entreated, if I must go not to leave them now – Dugumbe
spoke kindly to them and would protect them as well as he could against
his own people [579] but when I went to Tagamoio to ask back the wives and
daughters of the headmen he always ran off and hid himself –
This massacre was the most terrible scene I ever saw – I
cannot describe my feelings but am thankful I did not give way to them
but by Dugumbe’s advice avoided a blood feud with men who for
the time seemed turned into Demons – The whole transaction
was the more deplorable inasmuch as we have always heard from the
Manyema that though the men of the districts may be engaged in actual
hostilities the women pass from on[e] market place to another with
their wares and were never known to be molested The change has come
only with these alien bloodhounds – and all the bloodshed has
taken place in order that captives might be seized where it could be
done without danger and in order that the slaving privileges of a petty
sultan should produce abundant fruit – |
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Transcribed by Heather F. Ball |
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