Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-08-23
STANLEY In AFRICA.
His Survey of the Victoria Niyanza
Exciting Adventures.
[Stanley's Letter to New York Herald

SANKEY'S Letter To New 0rk Herald.
MAHYIGA ISLAND. J
THREE MILES FROM BUMBIREH ISLAND
LAKE VICTORIA NIYANzA, July ~, 1875
This expedition which you have in
trusted to me seems destined to meet
with adventure more than enough.
When a boy loved to read books of
adventure and travel, especially of the
Mayne Reid type, and followed their
several heroes with breathless interest
through all their varied fortunes but
since have been compelled, lately, to
act the hero of the adventure oftener
than is consistent with peace of mind
and a comfortable nights rest, how
eve1 glorious thing it may appear on
paper, you may take my word for it
would much rather read of the adven-
ture than be an actor in it.
AS compare my former trip to
Ujiji with this journey am forced to
admit that the former was mere child $
play. The adventures we have gone
through already, if faithfully related,
would fill a good-sized volume, while,
| may say, we have but begun our
journey Us yet
Continuing my narrative of our
journey from Uganda ty Usukuma by
the western shore of Lake NiyanZa, /
resume it from the point | left off in
my last letter, viz. the kagera River,
OF the Kitangule.
We had two canoes belonging to
Mtesa accompanying our boat as an
escort, until the dilatory Grand Adj
miral MagaSSa should oyertake us with
his fleet of thirty canoes, and the day
we left the Kagera River we rested at
night on smooth, sandy beach at the
foot of the Usongoro plateau, at a
point called kagya. The natives were
friendly and disposed to be hospitable,
so that we argued well for our recep-
ton during our travels along the coast
of Usongora.
The next afternoon we camped at
Makongo and received an apparently
friendly welcome by the natives, each
of whom was engaged rs we landed in
the grave occupation of imbibing
pombe, or beer, by means OF long
straw pipes, exactly as we take a
sherry-cobbler' or a "mint-julep"
in the United States. The chief slight
ly reeled rs he came forward to salute
me, and his eyes had that uncertain
gaze which seemed to hint that he saw
double, or two white men when there
was only one. How ,ver, he and his
people We're good-natured, and con-
tented with our arrival.
About ten p. III. we were all aWak-
ened from sleep by a furious drum
ming. accompanied now and then by
shrill yells. The Waganda said that
this drumming and yelling was III
welcome to the white stranger | did
not believe them, and therefore put
my people on their guard, ordered them
to load their guns and place them
under their sleeping mats, and arrang-
ed all my own IN a handy and safe
position. Except the continued drum
ming and yelling, nothing occurred
during the night, but at daybreak We
found ourselves in presence of about
800 warriors, armed with bow, shielc
and spear, who had crept quietly neal
the camp, and then had stood up III
Semlclrcle, preventing all escape save
by water. | was SO astonished by this
sudden apparition of such large body
of armed men that | could barely be
lleve that we We're still in MteSa :
territory.
There was also something very curl
Gus in their demeanor. For there wa.
no shouting, yelling, or frantic be
hayiOr, as We had several times wit
Messed on the part of savages When
about 10 commit themselves by
desperate deed They all wore a com
posed though a stern and determine,
aspect. 1t was a terrible moment I,
Us We knew not what 10 make O
these hundreds Of armed sayages, VIII
persisted in being silent, and gave n,
hint rs to their intentions, unless TIN
forest of spears might be taken as
clear, unmistakable and explicit hin
that their object was bloody one W
feared to make a movement lest
might precipitate a catastrophe whicl
might possibly be averted and we re
manned a few minutes silently survey
ing each other.
The silence WAS soon broken, how
ever. by the appearance of the chic
who had welcomed us Though he wa