Zambia World Wide

Article 2 - Tales from the African Bush

For the benefit of those who have only experienced the modern Zambia, here are some extracts from J & M Lougher’s letters to give us a flavour of rural life in Northern Rhodesia in the 1940’s and 50’s.

Snake encounter

After the morning service on the last day of our stay at … we were startled by yelping and weird noises from the dog. These we thought indicated the presence of a deadly enemy somewhere in the house. Warily the intruder was looked for, and found behind the wardrobe. Sure enough, as we suspected, it was a snake! Not the usual species that one finds, but a large Mamba over eight feet long! Never before had we come to such close range with such a fearsome reptile. The nearest weapon for attack was a shovel, and the fight was certainly a grim one. However, after much hacking in desperate effort to sever the head the dreaded creature succumbed to its rightful fate. Later the natives came and were horror-stricken at the sight of such a snake –remarking that only God could have saved us from its deadly bite. The wheel-barrow was used to carry the body to the compound where the fleshy meat was soon sizzling in the pot and provision made for a big feast.

(From a letter dated June 7^th, 1950, written by J & M Lougher from Ndola)

Living in a grass house

For many weeks we have been living in a grass house. This was built entirely with raw materials, such as poles, bamboo sticks, grass and string, all of which were procured around us. The ant-hill, although built by the most abhorred and destructive little insect in the whole of Africa, serves as a store of wealth to the European. Some of the large, towering ant-hills have been up for hundreds of years. Invariably one finds them beautifully decorated and shaded by Bamboo trees with their ever-green leaves. Bamboo sticks serve as the main structural material in the grass house. At the moment bricks are being made from the ant-hill soil, which has been proved to be the best for making Kimberly bricks (sun-dried). It is now the cold season and we find the house rather cold in the mornings and evenings. The grass is very scanty on either side of the house, which you will understand when we tell you the house was built in less than two weeks! The black and white ants have been a constant worry; also tiny worms which fall from the roof. The mosquitoes too are busy in the evenings, as are the flying ants which come round the lighted lamp and invariably fall into the soup.

(From a letter dated June 7^th, 1950, written by J & M Lougher from Ndola)

Lost and found

Nakulumambwe is a very old woman, weak and feeble in appearance but with rather a strong will. Early one morning she went looking for mushrooms, following a very familiar narrow winding path into the ‘bush’. In her keenness she ventured off the path into the maze of the thick ‘bush’ without a clue to guide her. By the time the sun went down the people were in a state of panic. The drum was beaten, the call representing a call of direction to the lost one. We took the car along the road thinking she might have sat on the wayside, weary and worn with her wanderings. The’Mitanda’ huts far out in the ‘bush’ were also visited but alas N. was nowhere to be found. Some said she could not possibly survive the night with so many animals roaming around. Others prayed and believed that God would keep her safely as she was His child. On the second day we heard again the drumbeats of alarm and emergency, calling men from villages miles away. Eventually about fifty arrived fully armed with spears and swords ready to comb the ‘bush’ and meet any ferocious animals along the way. Once more there was disappointment and sorrow as these men returned with no result. On the third day - the Lord’s Day – some gathered for the Meeting, others still persisted in the search for our old friend, who had been so faithful in attendances and was now missed so much. In the afternoon, after the first session of the Sunday School, the drumbeats sounded again, this time a call to rejoice! By this we knew that the lost one had been found. Without any warning all the children made one big rush for the doorway, some jumping over two and three seats at a time, shouting for joy and running as fast as they could to the village. The adults followed, all rejoicing together as we heard that she had been found in a small village 10 miles away. She had spent a night under a tree in the ‘bush’ then walked blindly on until she sighted a stream. Following this for some time she found herself near a main road, 8 miles from home. Almost dead with exhaustion she walked another 2 miles to a village where she could shelter for the night.

(From a letter dated April 29^th,1949, written by J & M Lougher from Luanshya)

Dangerous journey

The first week of travel proved that we had undertaken a treacherous task – for at dusk one evening we encountered a leopard strolling casually along the country road! Spoors of other animals, lions, elephants, hyena as well as the milder species of wild life, were seen along many a lonely path. The tall grass in some places was thirty feet high, and one was often possessed by a lurking fear of meeting a dreaded enemy round the bend. On reaching a certain village we discovered the people in mourning and great sorrow. Two days prior to our arrival a man had been killed by a lioness. The same beast had already shown its craving for human flesh, having disturbed the villagers for several nights. Early one morning a brave man was seen wending his way – spear in hand – along the bush path to hunt the animal. A friend accompanied him on the dangerous expedition….They came across an animal trap and, drawing near, discovered that the rope was broken – a sure sign that something had been caught! Crouching in the tall grass was a lioness, devouring the delicious venison that had been caught in the trap. Suddenly she sprang on to the nearest man. The partner ran for his life, calling for help. Another man, on hearing the cry, rushed to the spot to tackle the grim situation. He found the lioness still in the act of mauling the man and without hesitation speared its side, but it was too late to save the man as life was almost extinct. His body was carried home and we, two days later, walked along the same path which reminded us of the ghastly event and the special need of our Heavenly Father’s protection.

(From a letter dated March 1^st, 1951, written by J & M Lougher from Ndola)