The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-22
STANLEY'S AFRICAN WORK.
The Sudden Return of n Explorer
to His Station on the Congo.
The Awakening of Along the
River-The Explorers "Lair' at Fivi
The Routine of Daily Life.

-HS 3C-NCh
an account of the return of Henry NJ. STAN
ley, the explorer, to Africa. Stanley bad
not been seen in Africa for four months.
international difficulties had occurred, and
it was thought that France, through NJ. de
Brazza, would make an ettempt to secure
control of the trading stations on the Congo.
During all the excitement Stanley kept his
own counsel and matured his plans. 1t was
announced that he had gone to Nice for his
health, Then there was an interval of sew
eral weeks when no more was heard of the
explorer. The story of his return ard the
busy awakening of African on the
Congo is told by the Daily Telegraph's CORE
spondent:
1t was a hot afternoon in last December, in
that decidedly hot place, Bona, on the Lower
Congo, that | was sitting under the veranda
of a Belgian merchants house, drinking cot
fee tempered with Swiss milk, and eating
my way through n tin of English biscuits.
Such things as these at that time were rare
l~uxuries on the Congo, and it was well to
make the most of ones opportunity, so our
conversation, both on account of the heat
and of nv appetite. was somewhat laconlc.
Far away, over the broad and placid river,
rose the curling smoke of an approaching
| STEAMER. IN the low, TlCu nleduONS D6NOuu
the house the cattle were standing amid the
rank grass, too languid to browse, and the
white egrets Tapped among them, picking
of the leathery, swollen ticks that would
otherwise suck their blood. l looked me-
chanically and without interest at the APP
preaching 5teamer putting her way industri-
ously over the steel gray, unruff1ed water.
My h~ostlay half sleeping in a hammock, and
although the steamer was steering toward his
landing stage he did not trouble to bestir
himself. Her unloading could wait, and as
to news, what news could she bring out OF
mail time? The little steamer soon drew up
at the end of the wooden pier, and then
arose a sound of vociferous shouting from
those on board. Some word they uttered
caught the merchants ear, for he woke sud
denly from his drowsiness, tumbled out of
his hammock and ran quickly down the
wooden steps out into the bright sun to the
landing stage. Astonished at his eagerness l
followed, and heard the new arrivals shout
ing, "Stanley's come back again! SANKEY'S
come back!'
Stanley had indeed returned from Europe,
when few had ever thought to see him again
on the Congo; and consequently all the silly
stories and petty malice that a great mans
renown always arouses had begun to revive,
and many of his detractors thought to find in
me. as a stranger to Congo politics, a fresh
nearer for their oft-repeated gossip, and a
confding faith that would accept implicitly
their nonsensical tales. l was told that an
introduction to Mr.. Stanley was a painful
humiliation, for he merely saluted the intro
duced with the abrupt and searching ques-
tons, "Who are your and What do you
want?" and then turned on his heel" Like
most calumnies, this had a grain of truth in
it, for many of those who now complained
of this alleged lack of courtesy on SANKEY'S
part had only encountered him on his way
back to the coast in June, 1882, when he was
M - o1oa- - --..-A lu1f - 49,
almost delirious, when to the number oil
new faces that pressed upon him with we'll
meant sympathy or vulgar curiosity his
dazed brain could only frame these questions;
who are your" VIVA do you want?' In
this condition the turning on his heel
could only be taken in a m~etaphorical sense.
However, | did not then know this natural
explanation of the many tales of his abrupt
ness, so l resolved to avoid for the present an
interview with one who had at that time NO
particular reason to be interested in me.
A few days later l left Bona and assembled
the river as far as "Underhill," the Baptist
mission station, which lies near the CONNER.
cial settlement of A~ngu-Angu. Underhill
stands a few miles from Vivi, on the oppo.
site bank, and is situated amid really pictur.
esque scenery. The great river takes a broad
bend opposite the station, and is shut in on
both sides by the towering hills, so that il
resembles nothing so much as a beautiful
| luOuIlldln ldh6 lying III u DTOlOuHu gorge,
save that the whirling, racing current shows
you on reflection that here must be a great
river harassed and exasperated by the many
obstacles that necessarily beset its hurried
course toward the sea. Caught in this great
bend, the river racing down from Vivi has to
pass through a somewhat narrow passage,
and then hurls the whole force
of its stream against an immense
and imposing cliff that really seems a great
mountain side shorn in half. 1t rises al
most perpendicularly from the water, which
so boils and whirls and seethes and eddies
at its base that this loop of the river has been
called by the Portuguese 'tHelrs Caldron."
The intense red color of the earth where the
cliffhas been scarped and bored by the rains,
AID its lurid reflections in the streaks of
smooth water; the dark purple-green woods
that nestle in the sombre hollowS CT the hills
hills that seem oitilessly to enclose the
scence and forbid escape-the unquiet water
and the ghoul-like v~ultures always soaring
in black-and-white relief against the dark
toned background-all these details render
the grim name singularly applicable. though
the scene to which it has been applied has a
savage beauty about it that redeems the
gloom. y II
Tired of inaction, I was preparing to make
a little journey along the south bank of the
river, and for that purpose had paid several
visits to the Dutch house at Angu-Angu to
buy cloth and hire carriers, and / was re-
turning from one of these tiresome journeys
unde the hot afternoon sun, when, on once
more reaching the little valley of the mis-
sion house, I saw the Belgique, a steamer of
the expedi ton, stopping there. She was
waiting partly to get W steam for the last
five miles of swift current she would have
to breast between Underhill and Vivi, and
the captain had also called in with a message
from the chief of Vivi, inviting me to come
and see Mr.. Stanley.
HELL's CALDRoN.
Much as l had avoided such an introduc.
ton, the glamour OF the name was toe
strong for me, and l embarked on board the
steamer at once. and with little hesitation.