Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-10-19

4
ty took their departure. Shortly aft
er leaving their hosts they encoun-
! tered band of hostile savages sent
by Kaba Rega to intercept and massa-
ere the explorers. The story of the
battle that ensued is best told in the
ColOneps own words:
"The morning of the 18th of Au-
| gust daWned, and a grateful sun.
| though very hot, aWoke us from a
fatlgued slumber. Hastily swallow
ing the relics of our repast of the
night before, we embarked ourselves
In our two boats, the openings of
which we had stopped with weeds and
rags. AT ten O'Clock we left the shore
and about midday attempted to gain
the opposite shore from which Mrooli
We're plainly to be seen. Shots Were
fired IN order to announce our arrival
as agreed upon. There was no reply.
Evidently Selim had not arrived. AT
the same moment, to my horror and
|
of papyrus that lines the shore, the
sinister faces of armed men, whose
Well-filled boats were bristling with
| lances, who now with wild yells, and
the beating Of the Nogarrah or war
dance, deployed into the stream. It
meant war. A hurried word of eau
ton and command to every man
caused the boats to drift down with
the current, and tied quickly together
to give steadiness and security. The
iron cases, ten in humber, were quickly
placed in barricade, and our fortan-
ately good stock of cartridges arranged
III convenient place for action. The
two Snyders of my men and my Reilly
elephant, with explosive shell and
! three revOlvers, though splendid arms,
seemed yet but idle weapons against
| at least 500 savages, who, conf
dent, now advanced to the at
tack in attempting to surround
me. These were the men Of
kaba Rega, King of Unyoro, the
same who in June of 1872 attacked
and defeated Sir Samuel Baker at
Masindi. The Mtongoli, or chief, who
spoke a little broken Arabic, an
nounced to me that he had been sent
by Kaba Rega to kill me; that they
had awaited my coming for days, ad-
ding that it is useless for you to de-
siSt; the fishes will eat YOU at sun
down. With shouts of defiance they
renewed their war song amid a horrid
din Of drums and horns, their hideOus
faces illumined with savage glee at
the prospect of blood and murder.
Ada FL Ranman, no longer able to re-
strain his excitement, threw up his
rifle to, shoot. When, throwing off
the horror of our position that seemed
to paralyze further effort, | cried, If
you shoot, I'll kill YOU his arm fell
Immediately in obedience. Raising
my elephant gun several times only to
receive the insulting jeers Of the de-
faint Mtongoli chief, planted finally
in his breast an explosive ball that,
bursting there, seemed to let out his
life-blOod. All at once and dripping
in gore he fell over on his comrades.
and in doing SO capsized them all in
the stream. Resting our guns upon
the barricade of cases our firing was
quick and accurate. CroWding to-
gether or capsized in one struggling
mass in the deep river that here was
almost 1000 yards wide, but few
of their spears could reach us,
while they became an easy tar
get to our shots that tore in
to their boats, or, bursting in
their naked bodies carried consterna-
ton and terror where only a moment
before hellish desire for massacre
animated them in their fendish glee.
Unperceived by me and protected by a
detached island Of papyrus that foated
by, a savage had endeavored to close
with us. My servant Adam, who saw
his deadly lance raised close to my
head, as enveloped in smoke I was di-
recting my fire elsewhere, seized one
of the revolvers placed for close action,
and, firing, l received the shot in my
face, and fell senseless and bleeding
behind the case that had served me as
rest and barrier. Although an ugly
wound, | soon regained consciousness,
and in the course of two hours the
greater part Of the savages had reached
the shore, following US until shutdown.
We learned afterward through Kaba
Rega himself, who sent straWs to de-
note the number of his loss, that
eighty-four had been either drowned
OF killed, including two of his greatest
sheikS.''
Through such scenes as this the speak
er carried his listeners, touching as
lightly as possible upon his own feats of
prowess, and keeping his auditors in
breathless silence as they listened to
his wonderful and thrilling story. On
concluding his address Col. Long was
awarded a continued round of applause