The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-09-21
STANLEY.

Each Tree the Am buscade of Arch q
with Poisoned Arrows-Thirty-tw Hat
ties Fought without n Resting-spell-A
Chapter Well Worthy OF Place In tn,
"Arabian Nights"
London Telegram to New York Herald.l
After nearly twelve months of anxious
suspense, during which the greatest fears
were entertained for the safety of the
gallant African explorer, the welcome
news has at length come that Henry M
Stanley, the special commissioner OF the
New York Herald and the London Dails
telegraph, has arrived on the west coast
of Africa, after terrible journey across
the continent along the line of the Lua-
laba, otherwise the Congo river. Stan
ley's dispatch is Gated from Emboma,
Congo river, west coast of Africa, Aug.
10, and informs us that he arrived at that
point on Aug. from Zanzibar, with only
115 souls, the entire party in an awful
condition after their long and terrible
journey through the heart of the African
continent. After completing the ex-
ploration of Lake Tanganyika, Stanley
and his followers pushed across the
country TO Nyangwe, on the Lualaba
This was the most northerly point
reached by Cameron when he attempted
to solve the mystery of the Congo and
its identity with the main drainage line
of the Lualaba basin.
Stanley left Nyangwe on the 18th of
November, 1876, and travelled overland
through Uregga with his party. The
task of penetrating the unexplored wilds
that stretched before him to the west
ward was calculated to impress him with
a sense of danger that nothing but the
stern call of duty and the promptings of
ambitious resolution could overcome.
He was about to plunge into region
where he would be as completely cut off
from hope of succor if fortune did not
favor him in his journey as if he was
wandering on the surface of another
planet. After an arduous march of
many days, through country filled with
difficulties, and being compelled to
transport ON the shoulders of his men
every pound of provisions and other
stores necessary for the trans-continental
journey, and, besides, carrying in a SIM
liar manner the sections of the Lady
Alice exploring boat, and the arms and
ammunition of the party, Stanley found
himself brought to stand by
immense tracts of dense forests
through which all attempts at pro-
gress were futile. Finding that he
could not advance along the line he
had first intended to follow, Stanley
crossed the Lualaba and continued his
journey along the left bank of the river,
passing through the district known as
Northeast Ukusu. On this route he en-
deavored to find an outlet westward, but
the Jungle was so dense and the fatigues
of the march so harassing that it seemed
| impossible for him to succeed in passing
the tremendous barrier of the forest.
To add to the horrors of his position in
these Central African wilds, Stanley
found himself opposed at every step by
the hostile cannibal natives The saw
ages filed the woods, and day and night
poured flights of poisoned arrows on his
party which killed and fatally wounded
many of his men. From every tree and
rock along the route the deadly missiles
winged their fatal course, and the
heavily-laden bearers fell dead under
their loads in the dark forest. Only now
and then could Stanley and his men re-
ply to this silent fire with their rifles,
for the savages kept under the densest
cover, and rarely exposed themselves.
SANKEY'S march through these canni-
bal regions soon became almost hope
| less There was no cessation in the
fighting day or night. An attempt at
camping merely concentrated the saw
ages, and rendered their fire more dead
| ly. The advance was a succession of
charges in rude slnrmi shing order by an
advance guard whose duty it was to
clear the road for the main body. A
rear guard covered in like manner the
retreat, for although advancing against
one enemy the movement was retreat
from another. All SANKEY'S efforts to
appease the savages were unavailing.
They would listen to no overtures, dis
regarded all signals of friendship and of
mildness of intention, and refused to be
pacifed with gifts. The patient be-
havior of Stanley's men they regarded as
cowardice, so that no course remained
open to the explorer but to fight his
way onward and with as little loss as
possible. To render the position still
more deplorable, his escort of 40 ma
tives; whom he had engaged for the SER
vice at Nyangwe, refused to proceed
further on the journey, and deserted
him.
They were so overawed by the terror
of the forest and the continuous struggle
that they believed destruction was GER
tain to overtake the whole party, and
prudently resolved not to be destroyed
Finding that his ranks were thinned by
the desertion of the Nyangwe men the
hostile natives concentrated for grand
attack on Stanley, with the object of
completely crushing him. 1t became
necessary, therefore, to organize des-
perate resistance, which was happily
successful, 80 far that it repulsed the
savages for the time being and gave the
explorer n chance to reconsider his plans
and make arrangements to adapt them
to his trying situation. There was only
one way to escape from the hapless POI
sition in which Stanley now found him
self, unless he accepted the alternative
of returning to Nyangwe, and abandon
ing the grand work which he had under
taken. This was to make use of canoes.
With the "Lady Alice" as last reh-
ance and good canoes for the party,
| Gto,nloxx oooa1,Io1 Al L. 11..1l D.. 4