When Sir Henry Morton Stanley conducted his famed search for Dr. David
Livingston in Africa, he was confronted by a particularly powerful tribe that
tried to hinder him from proceeding. The guide who was with him explained that
if he wanted to continue his search, he would have to cut covenant with the
chief of that tribe. He wasn't sure what that implied, so he asked. The guide
explained that there would be an exchange of gifts, and that blood - Dr.
Stanley's as well as the chief's - would have to be shed. Dr. Stanley agreed and
they began the process.
Before the blood was shed, they had to exchange gifts. Dr. Stanley was not in
good health and took a goat with him everywhere he went for its milk. When the
chief said that he wanted that goat, therefore, it was a difficult decision for
Stanley to make. If he failed to please the chief and did not successfully cut
the covenant, he would not be allowed to continue his search.
In the end, he yielded and gave the goat and, in exchange, he received a tall
spear wrapped wit copper. To Dr. Stanley, this did not seem like a very
impressive gift. After all, what practical good would it be to him?
Nevertheless, the covenant was completed, and he departed on his journey.
The very next time his party met someone along the way, a very unusual thing
happened. The person they met bowed before Dr. Stanley. He didn't understand
this at first, until he was told that the chief had given him the symbol of his
own authority. Stanley had been worried about losing a goat, but now he could
request a whole herd of goats if he wanted to.
Bagwell, Tim. When I See the Blood. Hagerstown: McDougal Publishing, 1998, p.
73-74. Www.mcdougalpublishing.com
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