The Hickman courier., 1877-12-07
StnnIcr on HIS Latest Exnloits.

The journey over the hitherto un-
known half of Africa now being finished,
the difficulties aud terrors, wars after
WARS, troubles after troubles, toll upon
toll the distnay and despair being ended,
il can not be wondered that we breathe
little freeT and feel more relief now than
when we were about to begin the Journey.
Our experiences have been very sad and
dreadful, and We have paid dearly for
the temerity and obstinacy with which
we held on. You might call all the
terrible experiences that African travel
ers relate in their books, and united they
would scarcely present such list of diff
ficulties ss we could show. Our losses
nevertheless, have not been 30 great
paratively. Our journeys length
from NyRnwe is nearly ! 500 miles our
losses in men are one European and
thirty-four Wanguana. Captain Tuckey
loq eighteen Europeans and eleven
cos0red men in about three months.
Mungo Park lost his own life and the
liRs of all his people and ont of
Pedle's Niger expedition the commander
and all the principle officers lost their
lives, and the expedition was broken up.
The entire area the Congo drains en-
braces about $50, 600 square miles It's
source is in that high plateau south of
Lake Tanganyika, in a country called
Bisa, or Ubisah by the Arabs. The
principal tributary feeding Bemba lake
is the Chsmbszi, broad, deep river,
whose extreme sources must be placed
about longitude 81 deg. cast. Bembs
lake, called Bangweolo by Livingstone,
its discoverer, is a large body Of shallow
water, about S,400 square miles in ex-
tent. 1t Is the residuum ofan enormous
lake that in very ancient times must
have occupied an area of 500, 900 square
miles, until by some great cOnvulsion the
western maritime mountain chain was
driven asunder, and the Congo began tC
roar through the fracture. Issuing from
Bemba lake, the Congo is known under
the name of Luapula, which, after q
course Of 200 miles, empties into lake
Mwern, a body of water occupying an
area OF about 500 square miles. Fall
ing from Mwern, it receives the name
of Lualaba from the natives OF Rua
In northern Rua it receives an impor
tant afluent called the kamalOndo
flowing in a direction north by west
il sweeps, with n breadth of about coo
SJrds, by Nyangwe Manyema, in latitude
% 15/ 45N south, longitude pc - east
and has an altitude of about l, ,fj0 feet
above the ocean. Livingstone, having
lost two weeks in his daJes, appears, ac
cording to Sanford's map of 1874, to have
placed Nyangwe in latitude 1 l. south
longitude 2i' 10 east, but this wide
difference may be due TO the carelessness
of the draughtsman. Those who feel in.
terested in it should compare it with the
latest map issued by Sanford, or the MAJ
published with the travellers last Jour
mails. The distance the Congo has
flowed from it's extreme source to eastern
Eisa to Nyangwe Manyems is about
1000 miles.
About O'Clock something dark and
long was recognized in the midst of the
fierce waves of Massassa falls, as they
we've tumbling into the basin of Bolo-
bolO. 1t was a canoe Capsized, and
clipging to it were several men. | in
stantly dispatched two chiefs and ten
men TO take position near the bend, 10
which | supposed the current that forced
its way through the basin would take
the wreck. Meanwhile I watched the
men as they foated through Bolo- bolo
basin. | saw them struggling to right
her; / saw them raise themselves on
the keel, and padding with their hands
tor dear lie, because below them short
half mile roared the Zinga cataract.
Finally, as they approached the land |
saw them leap into the river and swim
ashore, and presently their canoe, which
they but a moment before abandoned;
swept by me with the speed of an arrow
over the Zinga cataract into the white
waves below, into the depths of whirl-
pool after whirlpool, and finally away out
of sight.
Bad news travels fast. Messengers,
breathless with haste and livid with ter
ror, announced that there were eleven
meu who had embarked in that canoe,
eight OF whom we're saved three were
drowned, one of whom was my brave,
honest, kindly -natured Frank Francis
POcock, my faithful companion and
friend. But. | asked the coxswain
U!cin, sternly, " how came Frank in that
canoe What business had he, lame
man, in the rescue canoe %
All MASTER" said he, we could not
help it. He would not wait. He said.
since the conoe is going to camp l will
go. am hungry and cannot wait any
longer l cannot walk, and don't want
anybody to carry me, that the natives
may all laugh at me. No; / will GO
with you,' and without listening to
Manwa Sera, the captain, he took his
seat and told us to cast off. ff.'-EJtrGcts
ron, ef{ere a., the ATcir TorE Her0T