, 1875-02-14

most obiitetated. and navigation had become lm-
possible Sir Samuel therefore, guidea his
feet into the Bahr Giraffe, which forms juno
ton With the Whita Nile. 3s miles above the
junction Of the Sobat
Ha found unexpectedly, however, that the
Bahr Giraffe was in nearly as deplorabie cond'-
ton Rs the White Nile. From Feb. II. when
be entered the xiver, untl April 2, be labored
with heroi: persistence TO effect the FORWARD
passage OF bis feet. As be ADVANCED. the OBJ
sttuctious grew more and more frequent aho
deuse. With ,000 men digging with swords and
knives channel through the compTeased
vegetation. they we're ahle to make but mile
OF so day. In the nineteen days ending the
21st of March. they advanced only u miles!
Meantime, 150 men were on the sick List and Il
men had died Still the determined leader kept
on until April q when the hopelessuoss Of the
case decided him to retreat and he turned his
prowe about and returned to Fashoda~ On his
way back, miles from the junction Of the Bahr
Giraffe, Sir Samuel struck the FIRST direct blow
in the suppression Of the slays trade. He here
oonf1scatod three vessels loaded with slayas and
released 155 captives.
Selecting favorable sta On the Sobat, Is miles
from the Junction, Sir Samuel established sta
tion aud disembarked his troops to remain dur
ing the rainy season. Tents we're raised, ground
cIeared, magazines built, gardens laid out, and
soon = clean, eouveaieut, AMI orderly camp was
created aad cl,ristenol Tewdxeaglh. Pleasant
relations ware immediately cenautea with the
Shiilooks, the native trlpe OF tho couutry,-a
peaceful. honest and industrious people. Dur
ing the encampnaaot several slarers, Attempting
to pass down the river, we're captured and their
c,rgoes Of human chattals released from bond
age.
By dint Of great labor, amid severe discourage
uents, the expedition got several farms under
successful oultivation. The enemies to
their agricultural enterprise uere' frat
hocks Of Wild guinearfoWls; secondly,
hosts Of small birds; and, lastly, armies of
great ants. II found says SIR Samuel, :" the
necessity OF rcsoxing the land 80 thick1y that
there should be sufficient grain to allow for tho
depreda:ions OF our ensmies. sat varmin-
traps and caught the guines-fowL Then tbs
natural enemy appeared IN the form OF wildcats,
who took the gui1ea-fowls cut Of the traps. Al
frat the men were suspected OF stealing the
birds: but the unmistakab:a tracks Of the Wild
cats were found close to the trapa, and shortly
after tho willy cats themselves became victims.
When the cropa, having resisted MANY eneuiea,
appeared Above-ground they were attacked By
tho mole crickets in formidable numbers. These
destructive inaects lived beneath tho small, solid
olo1s Of earth, and. issuing forth at night they
bit tho young shoot clean OF, closs to the parent
grain, at the points Of extreme sweetness. The
garden suffered terribly from thaae insects, which
destroyed whole rows OF cucumber plants" This
ia but an instance 6 the wsy that the expedition
had to fight, from beginning 70 end, with powell
ful and countless foes, ranging from tha ant up
to the negro and the Arab.
In December the station WAS broken up. the
troops again embarked, aud on the l1th the last
OF the feet once more set sail on the Dlhr Gi-
ra1a in the hope that the river, now swollen by
rains, would afford passage through to tha
open channel Of the White Nile aud on to Con
dokoro. March tbs fset waa still tollng
Through every species Of difficulty" The mea
we're cutting channels and dragging through the.
Vessels With tremendous labor aud great risk OF
life, Many we're sick sud Ill we're broken
spirited But On that day, when hopa ebbed
lowest, the great White Nils Was discovered
mile and half ahead. Ten days Of terrible toll
were necsBsary to got tho aeet over that shors
distanca It was like carving it bodily over dry
land, but at last on the 18th, Ill wore aaoat in
broad, clear channel, snd there Was great re1oio-
Ing in every worn and weary heart
April Is, 1871. t~o years from ths dste Of Sir
Samuei'a commission, his fotilla reached the old
mission Station Gondokoro, which vas to form
the base OF his operations! The work Of estab-
lishing 4 permanent station hare as headquarters
was promptly entered upon, and busy months
we're occupied in constructing fortiacations. and
putting crops in tho ground The Daris, who oe-
c1pied this country. were the worst tribe in the
Nile basin, and gave Sir Samuel infinite trouble.
It was not until he Ind subdned then In many
IN encounter, aftor the fashion OF both civilized
and savage warfare, thst hs waa able to dwell
among them in security and command from
them civil treatment Early in November. thirty
vessels returned to Khartoun, bearing back the
sick aud disaiYected soldiers, sad reducing the
erpsdition to SIS man. These ware distributed
in three stations [Gondokoro being one Of the1n),
situated each uile from the other, and forming
\ triangle.
IN Dsce.nber, Sir Samuel started into the lnte-
,ior with 212 men, leaving 392 to garrison the
snuely-forti6ed aud amply furnished stations At
Gondokoro. Tha surrounding natives were ut
peaee, and food vas abundant. Bis projected
Journey WAS hazardous, as his foroe was misera-
b,v inefficient to transport baggage and for self-
protection, but the indonitable pluck that had
carried the enterp.iae thus far in the face OF
every sortof harAssing difficulty ~oald not now
weld until the fnal objects Of the expedition
had been accomplished March 6, the party
happily reached FAtiho, 165 miles from
headauarters Here dstachment Of 1o1 non
WAS left. with ordera to form station. aod Sir
Samuel; with tho remainder of the party, pr essed
On to Masindi, tho capita! OF Unyozo. At th's'
the southcrnnost point Visited By tho expedl-
ton. situated in 1atituds deg, 45 min., and
d;ssant from Gon1okoro s72 miles, ths tired
travellers arrived April 23 1872. As At previous
haltiug-p1aoes, station wss quickly constructed,
and measured takon to plscate the natiVea- ut
the latter we're too hostile aud treaoherous to be
overawed by the small force now under s'r
samuers command, and, after good deal OF
fruitless negotiating and hostile skirmishins' 1t
was found necessary to destroy the station and
return TO Fatiho. The departure was undertaken
June II, and for eight days the bra7e little band
marched under continusl fire from the na"
tiyes ssnlking in the tall grass and behind every
rock aud tres that offered IN anbuscAds.
June q, tho little troop arrived At Fo"eera