West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-05-04

One of Stanle,'s Adventures.
While Stanley, the African cxplorer.
was working his way down the great
river whose union with the sea he was
the first to discover, he had thirty-tw
adventures with the hostile natives. in
some of which he lost a number of men.
pne of these adventures is thus described
by graphic correspondent of the Boston
JOUrndi:
The inhabitants had assembled on the
bank, seeing this curious boat filled with
strangers approaching, and Stanley's
men said they thought the cries. which
were almost dcafening, of friendly
nature.
But Stanley thought not. To him the
cries seemed warlike. However. visions
OF eggs, chickens, fresh milk, and, per
maps, 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 th,
sloping bank than it was hauled fifty
yards up on the shore bv an hundred
hands, and before Stanley and his aston.
lshed men could realize where they were.
they found themselves the center of n cir,
Gle OF saVagcs, each of whom was aiming
wv 'iA'Nhl dN VIZ NllluNkN MlEnlN.
There were several hundred of these
people, called the Bumbrich, after the
name of their island, on the shoratt:ind
STANLEY says that he expected to bc in
stantly massacred. His gun and those
of his men lay in the bottom of the boat,
and To stoop to pick them up would
have brought shower of arrows and in.
slant death.
nn ks.NV VaI Al. Al
savagcs, and showed them some cloths
and beads, which they accepted They
crowded around the boat, however, and
one man took hold of Stanley's hair and
gave 1T violent wrench, thinking that
1t was cap and would come of, dis
closing wool.
This was hard TO bear, and meantime,
one of Stanlcy's men received stunning
blow from spear handle Then the ex-
plorcr made another little speech, ask ing
Tor food and to be allowed To continue
his journey, promising more cloth and
beads
The savages then made several fcro-
cious demonstrations, rushing down upon
him, gnashing their teeth and shaking
thelr spears I'm his very face but they
did not kill him, and finally retired "a
consult. This mortal agony of suspense
lasted from nine in the morning until
three in the afternoon, during which
time Stanley did not get out of his boat.
nor dld he take his eyes oirthe islanders.
At last, seeing no chance of ANYTHING
but death, he gave the signal to his men
To bc ready 1T a certain cry to drag the
boat into the water Presently the
islanders began 10 return, and something
told Stanley not to- wait.
10 he shouted the word of command.
ana the boat flew down the slope into
the water, his men diving all around
1T IKE so many muskrats, in their eager
ness to escape the javclins and arrows
which they knew would come.
Stanley picked up his elephant gun.
ana, ~ an Islander bounding on TO the
beach was preparing to fire an arrow
after the boat, he shot him, and
the immense bullet, passing through the
sayagc's body, killed another behind
him.
Meantime IL 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 arTOw-rangc, when
they were Mortified by seeing thirty-six
savages put off from Bumbrich in three
large canoes.
The menin Stanley's boat were anxious
to fire at once, but he ordered them to
allow the canoes To- approach, and sue
ccedcd in sinking two OF them by firing
into their sides nj the water line.
In two minutes two dozen savapes
were struggling in the water, and beating
away for the shore with vigorousstrokes ;
the third canoe renounced pursuit and
Stanley and his men found themselves
safe, but still half-dead from hunger
when they joined the main body of the
expedition.