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

land. This enormous labor entailed tn,
most exhausting efforts, and the men hat
frequently to abandon the AZ and drag
ropes for their rifles, to defend them
selves against the continuous assaults o.
the hostile natives. After passing the
cataracts, Stanley and his party had Ions
breathing pause from the toll of dragging
their boats through the forest. They
were also comparatively secure from at
tack, and took measures to recruit theil
exhausted strength before again encoun.
tering the dangers of the journey west
ward.
At two degrees north latitude he
found that the course of the great Luala-
ba swerved from its almost direct north
erly direction to the northwestward, to
the westward and then to the southwest
ward, developing into broad stream
varying in width from two to ten miles
and choked with islands. In order to
avoid the struggle with the tribes of
desperate cannibals that inhabited the
main land on each side of the river,
SANKEY'S canoe feet, led by the Lady
Alice, padded along between the
islands, taking advantage of the cover
they afforded as protection from at
tack. In this way many miles down the
stream were made by the expedition, un-
molested by the natives, but this safety
from attack was purchased by much
suffering. Cut off from supplies in the
middle of the great river, starvation
threatened to destroy the expedition.
The most extreme hunger was endured
by the party, which passed three entire
days absolutely without any food. This
terrible state of things could not be any
longer endured, SO Stanley resolved
to meet his fate on the main
land, rather than by hunger on the
river. He therefore turned his course
into the left bank of the Lualaba. With
the regular good fortune that has gen.
orally attended him, he reached the vii
lage of tribe acquainted with trade.
With these friendly natives Stanley and
his party made "blood brotherhood,
and purchased from them an abundance
of provisions, which were sorely needed
by the famished exploring party After
n brief rest, Stanley endeavored to con-
tinue his course along the>left bank of
the river, but three days after his de-
parture from the village of the friendly
natives he came to the country of pow
erful tribe, whose warriors were armed
with muskets. Here, for the first time
since leaving Nyangwe, Stanley had to
contend against an enemy on almost an
equal footing as to arms. He, there.
fore, prepared his party for struggle,
the issue of which was decidedly doubt
ful. No sooner did these natives dis
cover the approach of SANKEY'S expedi-
ton than the unnamed fifty-four large
canoes, and put off from the river bank
to attack it. 1t was not until a number
of his men were killed that STAN
ley desisted in his efforts to make
the natives understand that he
and his party were friends. He cried
out to them to that effect and offered
clothes as peace gifts, but the savages
refused to be conciliated, and the fight
proceeded with undated fury. For
twelve miles down the struggle went on,
and it proved to be the greatest and most
desperate fight on this terrible river. 1t
was maintained by Stanley's followers
with great courage, and was the last save
one of thirty-two battles fought since
the expedition had left Nyangwe.
SANKEY'S losses during the long and
terrible journey across the continent
from Nyangwe have been very severe.
The continuous fighting in the forests
and on the river reduced the strength of
the expedition daily, until it became a
question whether any of its members
would ever reach the coast. Stanley was
almost drawn into the whirlpools of the
Mewa falls, and six weeks later himself,
with the entire crew of the Lady Alice,
were swept over the furious falls of
Mebelo, whence only by a miracle they
escaped.