The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-05-17
A JOURNEY.
sir william Bakers Thrilling Account of
His Travels in Search of the Nile
Sources.

His Travels in Search of the Nile
Sources.
The following thrilling narrative i
taken from Sir Samuel w. Bakers &C
count of his travels in search of the
Nile sources, published in the lates'
volume of the Standard Library, Lon
don, under the title, SIN the Heart o.
Africa" Mr. Baker was accompanied
throughout by his wife, and at the point
where this narrative begins the party
were but a few days journey from the
source of the Nile:
On the morning of the second day we
had difficulty in collecting porters ;
those of the preceding day having alb
seconded; and Others were recruited
from distant villages by the native
escort, who enjoyed the excuse of hunt
ing for rJrters, as it gave them an op-
portunity of foraging throughout the
neighborhood. During this time we
had to wait until the sun was high; we
thus lostthe cool hours of morning, and
it increased our fatigue. Having at
length started, we arrived in the after
moo at the Kafoor river, at a bend
from the south where it was necessary
to cross over in u westerly course.
The stream was in the center of a
marsh, and, although deep, it was so
covered with thickly matted water
grass and other aquatic plants hat a
natural floating bridge was established
by a carpet of weeds about two feet
thick. Upon this waving and unsteady
surface the men a quickly acress,
sinking merely to the ankles, although
beneath the tough vegetation there was
deep water.
1t was equally impossible to ride or
to be carried over this t~reacherous sur
face; thus l led the way, and begged
Mrs. Baker to follow me on foot us
quickly as possible, precisely in my
tracks. The river vas about eighty
yards wide, and l had scarcely com
pleted a fourth of the distance and
looked back to see if my wife followed
close to me, when l was Mortified to
see her standing in one spot and sink
ing gradually through the weeds,
while her face was distorted and per-
fectly purple. Almost as soon as |
perceived her she fell as though shot
dead. In an instant | was by her side,
and, with the assistance of eight or ten
OF my men, who were fortunately close
to ME, | dragged her like a corpse
through the yielding vegetation, and
up TO u waists We scrambled across
to the other side, just keeping her head
above the water. To have carried her
would have been impossible, as we
should all have sunk together through
the weeds. | laid her under a tree and
bathed her head and face with water.
as for the moment l thought she had
tainted; but she lay perfectly insensi-
BILE, as though dead, with teeth and
hands firmly clinched, and her eyes
open but fixed. 1t was a coup de
soleil-a sun-stroke.
Many of the porters had gone on
ahead with the baggage, and / started
OFF a man in haste to recall an agarep
upon which to carry her, and also for
a bag with a change of clothes, as we
had dragged her through the river. 1t
was in vain that | rubbed her heart
and the black women rubbed her feet to
restore animation. At length the litter
came, and after changing her clothes
she was carried mournfully forward as
a corpse. Constantly, as we had to
halt and support her head, a painful
rafting in the throat betokened suffo-
cation. AT length we reached a village
and halted for the night.
l laid her carefully in a miserable
hut, and watched beside her. | open.
ed her clenched teeth with a small
wooden wedge and inserted a wet rag,
upon which dropped water to moisten
her tongue, which was dry as fur. The
unfeeling brutes that composed the ma
tive escort were yelling and dancing
though all were well, and l ordered
their chief to at once return with them
kamrasi, as | would travel with
them no longer. AT first they refused
return, until at length | vowed that
would hire into them. Day broke,
and 1t was a relief to have got rid of
the brutal escort. They had departed,
and | had now my own men and the
guides supplied by Kamrasl.
There was nothing to eat in this spot.
wife had never stirred since she
Tell by the coup de soleil, and merely
'esplred o fifteen times in a min {
lite. 1t was impossible to remain; the
people would have starved. She was {
aid gently upon her litter, and we
forwIrd on our funeral course. |
was ill and broken-hearted, and |
ollowed by her side through the long !
march over wild park lands and |
streams, with thick forest and deep, I
bottoms, over undulating hills
md through the valleys of tall papy-
us PUSHES, which, as we brushed
trough them, waved over the litter S
the black plumes of a hearse. S
We halted at a village, and again the /
light was passed in watching. l was /
ret and coated with mud from the q
wampy marsh and shivered with ague;
ut the cold within was greater than 4
Il. No change had taken place; she r