The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-04-18
One of SANKEY'S Adventures.

While Stanley, the African explorer,
was working his way down the great
river whose union with the sea he was
the first t. discover, he had t~hirty-two
adventures with the hostile natives, in
some of which he lost a number of men.
One of these adventures is thus described
by agraphic correspondent of the Boston
Journal:
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 deafening, of a friendly
nature.
But Stanley thought not. To him the
cries seemed warlike. However, visions
| of eggs, chickens, fresh milk, and, per-
haps, 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 an hundred
hands, and before Stanley and his aston
ished men could realize where they were,
they found themselves the centero of a cir
Gle of savages, each of whom was aiming
an arrow directly at the unlucky wights.
There were several hundred of these
people, called the Bumbrich, after the
name of their island, on the shore, and
Stanley says that he expected to be 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 a shower of arrows and in
slant 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 Stanley's hair and
gave it a violent wrench, thinking that
it was a cap, and would come of, dis
closing wool.
This was hard to bear, and meantime,
one of SANKEY'S men received astunning
blow from a spear. handle Then the ex-
plorer made another little speech, asking
for food and to be allowed to continue
his journey, promising more cloth and
beads.
The savages then made several Zero.
cious 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 afternoon, during which
time Stanley did not get out of his boat
nor did he take his eyes offthe islanders
At last, seeing no chance of. anything
but death, he gave the signal to his mer
to be ready at a certain cry to drag The
boat into the water. Presently thu
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 int
the water, his men diving all arount
it like so many muskrats, in their eager
ness to escape the javelins and arrow
which they knew would m
Stanley picked up his elephant gun
and, as an islander bounding on to tn,
beach was preparing to fire an arrow
after the boat, he shot him, ant
the immense bullet, passing through tn
savage's body, killed another behin'
him.
Meantime it was discovered that tn
oars were lost, and Stanley's men wer
padding with their hands as fast as the.
could to get out of arrow-range, whel
they were Mortified by seeing thirty-si!
!, sayages put off from Bumbrich in thre
large canoes
, Themenin Stanley's boat were anxiou
to fire at once, but he ordered them t
allow the canoes to approach, and sue
ceeded in sinking two Of them by frin
into their sides at the water line.
In two minutes two dozen savage
were struggling in the water, and beatin
away for the shore with vigorous strokes
the third canoe renowned pursuit, an
Stanley and his men found themselve
E safe, but still half-dead from hunge
. when they joined the main body of tn
: . expedition.