From "In the Heart of Africa," by Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg (Cassell & Co.) 
WANGILIMA OARSMEN (SECOND POSITION) 
Bending down low, the rowers dipped their finely carved copper-decorated paddles deep 
into the water, pulling them out again with a peculiar rapid jerk which made the canoe 
vibrate a little. The men are excellent, hardy river boatmen, who, with some encouragement, 
will persevere untiringly for hours at their work. While paddling they usually sing melo- 
diously and with a purity and harmony of tone that I have seldom met with elsewhere. We 
all found this agreeable mode of traveling an indescribable relief after our exhausting 
marches through the primeval forest. Lounging in dolce far iiieute style, stretched on a com- 
fortable chair under the protecting awning, we saw most luxuriant sylvan scenery pass before 
us in an ever-changing panorama. The boat we used was the common dugout canoe, and 
bore 20 oarsmen. 
round the instrument, for the safety of 
which I was beginning to become nerv- 
ous, when his serene highness suddenly 
hurled his long staff into the arena, mak- 
ing the splinters fly and ending the seance. 
The Sultan being also desirous of see- 
ing the white men do some shooting, an 
iron pot was placed on a stake and set up 
at a distance of 150 meters. As I, as 
well as others of my company, was suc- 
cessful in hitting this tolerably easy mark 
several times in succession, the plaudits 
from the crowd were great, and innu- 
merable hands were stretched out in 
congratulation. 
The Sultan, fearing that he would be 
beaten if he tried his skill from the same 
point, approached within 50 paces of the 
mark. His efforts were not exactly bril- 
liant, yet every company captain would 
have been delighted with the faultless 
way in which he made ready and the 
precision with which he carried out all 
the movements. He was like an infantry 
man at the rifle butts. 
The Sultan made me a further present 
of several objects of native industry. 
Yet the purchase of ethnographical mate- 
rial met with obstinate opposition. How- 
ever, after some persuasion, Msinga gave 
his permission for goods to be bartered, 
and forthwith the whole population has- 
tened from all quarters to enrich them- 
selves by high prices for their wares. It 
3S5 
