The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-02

His energy seems to me to have been
shown to most marked advantage in
one of the earliest of his battles on the
river, when he had begun to believe
that he was really on the way to the
sea, and when he fancied that he could
make very rapid progress if it were not
for the immense difficulty of obtaining
food. For weeks the little band with him
had been fading away for lack of
proper nourishment, and death now
and then looked in on them with an
ugly grin. They were among hostile
tribes; every man was an enemy. Stan
ley says: Il could have taken the bit
in my teeth, and charged through the
country, striking down every person
who dared to refuse me anything, and
perhaps that policy might succeed, for
my followers were well armed; but that
was not my desire. sent word express
ly to each chief through whose country
| had to pass: You must let me go I'M
molested on my way to the sea. If you
do, L can confer an immense benefit
upon you. | can teach you how to be
more comfortable, and / can rid you
of the terrible raids of the slave-hunt-
ers. But if you prevent me from pass
ing, then | shall fight my way. My
heart is filled with love for you, but /
know how to punish my enemies
This had much the same effect here as
it had elsewhere, except in certain
cases, and that which he related to me
is typical one.
He was working his way down the
great river-in the boat which he had
had specially constructed in England
for the purpose, and which had been
carried in sections on the heads of men
for hundreds of miles-when he saw
fertile island accessible by a pretty
cove, and, tempted by the hunger which
became hour by hour more and more
insupportable, he resolved, after much
solicitation on the part of the ten ne
groes with him, to tempt fortune. The
inhabitants had assembled on the bank,
seeing this curious boat filled with
strangers approaching; and SANKEY'S
men said they thought the cries, which
were almost deafening, of a friendly
nature. But Stanley thought not. To
him the cries seemed warlike. How
ever, visions of eggs, chickens, fresh
milk and perhaps goats flesh for his
exhausted men flashed before his eyes,
and he gave the signal to put into the
| cove. No sooner had the boat reached
the sloping bank than it was hauled
fifty yards up on the shore by hun
| dred hands; and, before Stanley and his
astonished men could realize where
they were, they found themselves the
center of a circle of savages, each of
whom was aiming an arrow directly at
| ba ,,nl,taly1r rrhorn
eral hundred of these people, called the
Bumbireh, after the name of their ISL
and, on the shore, and Stanley says that
he expected to be instantly massacred.
His gun and those of his men lay in the
boat, and to stoop to pick them up
would have brought shower of arrows
and instant death. So he endeavored
to reason with the savages, and showed
them some cloths and beads, which
they accepted. They crowded around
the boat, however, and one man took
hold of SANKEY'S hair and gave it a
violent wrench, thinking it was a cap
and would come off, disclosing wool.
| This was hard to bear, and, meantime,
one of SANKEY'S men received a stun
ming blow from spear-handle. Then
the explorer made another little speech,
asking for food and to be allowed to
continue his journey, promising more
cloths and beads. The savages then
made several ferocious demonstrations,
rushing down upon him, crashing their
teeth and shaking their spears in his
very face; but they did not kill him and
finally retired to consult. This mortal
agony of suspense lasted from nine in
the morning until three in the after
noon, during which time Stanley did
not get out of his boat, nor did he take
his eyes off the islanders. At last, see
ing no chance of anything but death,
he gave the signal to his men to be
ready at a certain cry to drag the boat
into the water. Presently the islanders
began to return, and something told
Stanley not to wait. SO he shouted the
word of command, and the boat flew
down the slope into the water, his men
diving all around it like so many musk
rats in their eagerness to escape the
javelins and arrows which they knew
would come. Stanley picked up his
elephant-gun, and, as an islander,
bounding on the beach, was preparing
to fire an arrow after the boat, he shot
him, and the immense bullet, passing
through the savage's body, killed an
other behind him. Meantime it was
discovered that the oars were lost, and
Stanley's men were padding with their
hands as fast as they could to get out of
arrow-range, when they were Mortified
by seeing thirty-siX savages put off from
Bumbireh in three large canoes. The
men in Stanley's boat we're anxious to
fire at once, but he ordered them to
allow the canoes to approach, and sue
ceeded in sinking two of them by firing
into their sides at the water-line. In
two minutes two dozen savages were
struggling in the water, and beating
away for the shore with vigorous
strokes; the third canoe renounced pur-
suit, and Stanley and his men found
themselves safe, but still half dead from
hunger when they joined the main body
of the expedition. The young explorer
had thirty-two adventures of this kind
before reaching the much-desired sea.
In one day he lost twenty-three men by
an attack of hostile tribes. He seems
| L. I - - II