Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-01-18

OtuCi OSaoVN VI PAOJ :" a. me- ~ tAO
forests, and made the darkness hide
GUS by their dismal howlings and in
describable screams; drovss of wild
elephants crashed through che for
est; genii haunted the darkness;
dwarfs, thirty inches in height, that
show cred flights of poisoned arrows
like quills at all intruders, and that
the natives ate at one bite, we're
thick as ants; they would kill every
body"
After a considerable delay, how
ever, Stanley succeeded in hiring an
Arab chief, with a force of 16O men,
to assist him in cutting his way
through the cannibal lands. Once
under way, the journey was attend
ed with little beyond the usual diff
culties of African travel, and after =
time the party found themselves in
the presence Of the anthropophagi,
who confronted them in strong force,
'Here," says the lecturer, "thsy be-
gan by asking who gave us permiS-
ison to go there. We said we
did not know we wanted anybody's 5
permission. They said, yes, it
must be had on their river We
said to them, you keep on your own
side of the river. You do not claim
more than half of it, we suppose.
We will cling so closely to the op-
posite side of the river and the other
bank that if you attack us you
must attack the people on the other
side of the river We started. They
asked, Where are you going?'
Down the river o our own country.
We never heard of any thing being
there. Where do you come from?'
From the other sea- From the
other sea? There is none. Do you
come from up there?-pointing to
the clouds. NO 'How is 1t we
never saw or heard of any body
like you before?' q suppose it was
owing TO your. own ignorance
well, you must turn back. We
can't allow you to go on 4 am
very sorry, but l must go on. If
yOu will allow us, we are quite will
ing to pay you for leave to pass.
Look; and we showed them some
fine gaudy clothes, and cOwrles, and
beads, and polished brass wire. No,
they would not have any at all. 60
back, they said. But the river was
not going back, and all the time we
we We're talking we went along with
the current, and while other natives
were coming down, until we got in
to another country. The people of
that place came out in their canoes.
This was on the frontier of the can
nibal lands. They maintained slml-
lar conversation with us. They
said, you pass us to-day without
fighting, but wait till tomorrow.
That king does not allcw anybody
to go down, and if he refuses, there
Is nobody who can stand before
him. We'll, we said, if we must
be killed, why, we shall be killed;
but we shall 60 on Next day We
went as before. This king came out
to meet US with fourteen canoes.
They looked ridiculously small to
come against our capoes. We passed
two of them. We fired, and cut the
water all around the canoe, and he
did not see the balls pass through
the water. This frightened him,
and he retired without our having to
fire shot at him."
Arrived at the equator, Stanley
began to feel that he was at last in
the presence of serious difficulties.
Here it is that the true strength of
the cannibals lies. 'EFirst," says the
speaker, "we had six cataracts to
contend with. Next we tried the
left bank, but to go on was simply
impossible. Down below us were
the cataractS. We could not row
back, on account of the stream be-
ing so swift, and, beside that, we
should have had to fight again with
these people. There was only one
way-tO show our manliness aud die.
So | sent four canoes on mp the riv-
er, and they landed half their crews.
Half had orders to 90 behind into
the forest, and while we attacked
the enemy in front they opened In
the rear. This was done only Just
in time, for the cataracts were roar
ing close by us. Having gained a
footing, we got down toward them,
and made palisade or camp. In the
night we threw out scouts, and cut
road, and laid down sticks and roll
ers. Then we built camp at the
extreme end of this track, and at
early dawn we drew our canoes ov-
er these sticks or rollers to the next
stage. We had a second camp,
where we rested. Next night We
went OH the same way, and so on.
We cut a road by night, and at sun
rise we began to draw the canoes in
TO the second camp. That we did
for twenty-six days, night and day
relieving each other, my companion
looking after the parties by night,
and | taking charge of the reliefs by
day. In these twenty-six days we
had gone thirteen geographical
miles and passed six cataracts. Then
the river began to turn northwest,
and goes on SO to two degrees lati-
tude north. Then it turns with a
mighty sweep toward the west, and
goes ON in a course forming a zigzag
line. Then at longitude twenty
three degrees it turns down to the
southwest; the river by this time
was from two to ten miles wide.
When we had reached longitude
sixteen degrees the lower series OF
cataracts began, sixty-two in num-
her. We had already had thirty two
fights before We reached these cata-
raots, and we were five months 60
ING from cataract to cataract, some
times hauling our canoes up noun
tain sleeps 1000 feet high, assisted,
of course, by friendly natives"
1t was not until after having com
pleted journey of 5000 miles, in
the course of which he lost three
white men aud 250 natives, that
Stanley finally arrived at the point
where CaDlain IuckeV abandoned