, 1876-10-18

as on land, but as God is my Judge l would
prefer paying tribute aud making these
savageS friends rather than enemies. But
some OF these people are cursed with such
d~eIlrlous terocity that we ara compelled to
defend ourselves, They attack in such
numbers ard so sudden that our repeating
rifles and Sniders have to be handled with
such nervous rapidity as will force them
back before We are forced to death, for if
we allow them to come within forty yards
their spears are as fatal as bullets. Just
think, had twenty one men killed in one
day, and but one wounded The spear
makes a trightful wound, while their
contemplate looking arrows are deadly
weapons. | have, for the sake OF
experiment, sent an arrow almost clean
through a bullock at twenty yards, and
the arrow head / is so blrbed and gashed
that, if a man IS wounded, a large piece
OF tortuI.d II sd must be cut out ere it is
extrac "a Ne had a narrow escape
lately. We were bat twelve in our boats
crew, the savazes several hundreds. As
they came to attack l ordered the boat to
be showed off, which was done so rapidly
that, with the impetus they had given it
they were themselves carried into deep
water, and only myself in the boat. l had
to keep the beach clear of the ~rascals, and
! emptled my elephant rifle, double
bare'led shotgun, aud reyolyerS at them,
while the men swan with the boat off
shore II a water infested with crocodiles.
None of US, thank fortune, were injured,
but each OF US had some very narrow
escapes to relate from whIzzing spears and
arrows. Since I left Zauzibar [ have
travelled 720 miles by land and 1904 miles
(by computation by water. This i'll six
months is good work. Over one hundred
positions settled by astronomical observa-
tlons-tor you must know that from tho
very day | got my commission !
strenuousIy prepared to fit myself for
geographical work, in order that | might
be able to complete Spoke, Burton, Baker,
and Livingstone's labours, which they
left undone. Now Speke's work is done.
What he commenced | have finished.
l do not know whether you comprehend
the drift of this expedition, but | will
explain. You must know that Spoke in
1853 came to the south west end of Lake
Victoria, and from hill near the lake he
discovered the vast body of fresh water.
Having gazed his fill, he returned to
England and was commissioned to fiud it's
outlet. In 1861 and 1862 he marched
from Zanzibar to Ugawa, when he saw the
lake again. At the Ripon Falls he saw
the lake discharge itself into the Victoria
Nile, aud went home again imagining that
he had done his work. If his work was
merely to find the outlet of Lake Victoria
he completed his task, but if his task was
to discover the sources of the Nile he had
but begun his work. He went away
without discovering the feeders of Lake
Victoria, which, in reality, are the Niles
sources-extreme Southern sources, |
mean. Then Baker came to Central
Africa and discovered Lake Albert. He
voyaged sixty miles on the lake, and he
ran home also without knowing anything
of the lakes sources. Burton went to
Taraganika, saw it, and returned home
without knowing its extent, outlet, or
af1uents. Livingstone came next to the
chain of lakes west of Taraganika, and
died nobIy in harness. Well, we are sent
to complete what these several travellers
have begun. While they are content with
having discovered lakes | must be content
with exploring these lakes and discovering
their sources, and unravelling the
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