Ismailia Part 81

Unyoro Unyoro

A tree ... ... Bisale. Halt ... ... ... Indeenda.

Far off .. ... Arrace. Go away ... ... Taisa Genda.

Near ... ... Aiee. Come here . ... Igghia.

Not far .. ... Ampi. Sit down ... ... Iu-karra-hanze.

A house .. ... Engooi. Get up ... ... Im-mookka.

Plantains ... Bitoki. A man ... ... Moosogga.

Beans ... ... Koli. A woman ... ... Mookazze.

b.u.t.ter ... ... Maggita. A girl ... ... Miss-sooki.

A canoe .. ... Obwato. A boy ... ... Um-wana.

A paddle . ... Engaiee. A thief ... ... Moosuma.

A mountain ... Orsozi. (Lubari or The earth ... Intaka. Fish ... ... (Enchoa.

The sky .. ... Iggohr. Wood ... ... Bitl.

A road or path Muhanda. Eggs ... ... Yooli.

Go on ... ... Togendi.

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

It is a singular fact that, although the domestic ox, sheep, and fowls are found everywhere among the negroes of Central Africa, there is no trace of the original stock among the wild animals of the country. The question arises--where did they come from?

Dogs are domesticated, and are used by the natives in their hunts.

Those of Central Africa are miserable pariahs, but they are nevertheless much prized by their owners.

After the attack at Fatiko by the slave-hunters, which resulted in the dispersion of their party, upwards of 170 dogs became houseless. The natives asked my permission to capture them, and, having spread their hunting-nets, they drove the dogs as they would wild animals, and daily secured a great number, which they trained to hunt the calves of antelopes and the great gra.s.s-rat (Anlacodus Swindernia.n.u.s).

Negroes have no sympathy with the young of wild animals, and I have never seen a pet animal or bird in their villages. Although I offered two cows for every young elephant they might catch, I never could prevail upon them to spare the little ones. Five were speared ruthlessly in one day, within two or three hours' march of Fatiko. A negro is never seen without his spear, and he finds the greatest pleasure in sticking it into either something or somebody.

DISEASES.

Small-pox is prevalent, Cholera rarely attacks the country, but it is known. Dysentery is very common in the White Nile districts, but it is rare in the highlands. This complaint is generally fatal at Gondokoro.

Great caution should be used, and impure water avoided. Marsh fever is the general complaint of the low ground, but is rare in the highlands of Fatiko and Unyoro.

I have never met with typhoid fevers in Central Africa, although they are common at Khartoum.

Measles, whooping-cough, scarlatina, croup, diphtheria, are quite unknown.

Blindness is only the result of extreme age, and is very rare. I never saw a case of mania, nor have I ever met more than one idiot in Central Africa. The brain appears to be exercised as a simple muscle of the body, and is never overstrained by deep thought or by excessive study.

There are no great commercial or parliamentary anxieties; no struggles to keep up appearances and position in society against the common enemy, "small means;" no hearts to break with overwhelming love; but the human beings of Central Africa live as animals, simply using the brain as a director of their daily wants. Thus in their simple state they never commit suicide and never go mad. Their women never give birth to cripples or monsters, as the sympathetic uterus continues in harmony with the healthy brain.

I have seen only two dwarfs. These were in Unyoro, one of whom was described by Speke (Kimenya): he is since dead. The other was at the court of Kabba Rega, named Rakoomba. We measured this little fellow, who was exactly three feet and half-an inch in height, at the age of about eighteen years.

The teeth are remarkable throughout Central Africa. I have examined great numbers of skulls, and I never found a decayed tooth. Many tribes extract the four front teeth of the lower jaw. The bone then closes, and forms a sharp edge like the jaw of a turtle.

MAMMALIA*

(*Mr. Sclater, of the Zoological Society of London, has furnished me with the scientific names of the antelopes and other mammals.)

The princ.i.p.al animals and birds in the Shooli country are:--

Native name.

Gezella dama. Lajooar.

Nanotragus hemprichia.n.u.s. Amoor.

Cervicapra lencolis. Teel.

Cervicapra ellipsiprymna. Apoolli.

Cervicapra arundinaera. Oboor.

Alcelaphus bubalis. Poora.

Trageiaphus scriptus. Roda.

Hippoacayus Bakeri Aboori.

Camelopardalis giraffa. Ree.

Phacochaerus AEtani (Rupp) (Wart-hog). Kool.

Bos caffer. Joobi.

Elephas Africa.n.u.s. Leteb.

Rhinoceeros bicornis. Oomooga.

Felis leo. Lobohr.

Felis leopardes. Quatch.

Wild dog, probably (Lycaon pietus). Orara.

Jackal. Roodi.

Hyana crocata. Laluha.

Manis Temminckii. Mooak.

Hystrix ap. Cho.

Viverra genetta. Gnonge.

Felis caracal. Quorra.

Herpsales striatus. Juang.

Struthio cameles. Oodo.

Leptoptilus crumenfirus. Kiaoom.

Hyrax ap. Dooka.

Aulacodus Swindernia.n.u.s, or great reed-rat Neeri.

Eupodoles sp. Apido.

Nemida meleugris (?) Owino.

Francolinus sp. (?) Aweri.

The zebra exists in the Shooli country, but is very rare. Hippopotami are to be found in the Asua river.

On the borders of the White Nile we find the Cervicapra megaceros and the beautiful Damalis Senegalensis, which I had supposed was a new species when I first secured it on the banks of the Bahr Giraffe.

Nothing new has been actually discovered during the expedition, and there can be nothing existing as an animal that is not well known to the natives, with whom I constantly a.s.sociated; therefore there is little hope of unknown species, excepting the wild dog known by the Shooli as "Orara."

The botanical collection, made entirely by Lady Baker, was handed to the Khedive of Egypt, therefore I regret that I cannot describe it.

LIBERATED SLAVES.

Upon arrival at Gondokoro with our party, we were shortly visited by the Bari father of little Cuckoo, who had travelled seven hundred miles with us. In a year and a half Cuckoo had grown immensely, and being in a good suit of clothes, he was with difficulty recognized by his savage-looking parent, who had parted with him as a naked, ash-smeared little urchin of between six and seven years old.

I am sorry to say that Cuckoo did not meet his father with an affectionate embrace, but at first positively refused to go with him; and when compelled to accompany him as a prodigal son and wanderer, he dug his knuckles into his eyes and began to cry. Poor little Cuckoo knew that the days of beef and good cooking had pa.s.sed away. He expressed his determination to run away from his father and to return to us; but as his home was on the west bank of the Nile, we never saw Cuckoo again.