The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-12-22
STANLEY In AFRICA.

! The latest rumors concerning tn
explorer Stanley place him near tn
headwaters of the river Niger. 4
short time ago he was believed tt
be the White Pasha, who was ad
vancing down the Nile TOWARD
Khartoom. Between these two re
gions there is nearly the breadth o
the African Continent, at its wides
part, and it is therefore evident thai
one at least of the reports must bt
false. In the short time which has
elapsed since the rumors concern
ing the White Pasha were received
it would have been impossible 70,
any force to march through the un'
explored region from the extreme
Upper Nile to the sources of the
Niger.
The attempt that has been made
to identify Stanley with the un-
known leader of an armed force
which was believed to be advancing
against the Arab rebels on the Up
per Nile, seemed to be simply an
effort to secure a basis for belief
that the great explorer was still
alive. Little has been heard from
him since his advance up the Aru-
wimi river into the land of the saw
age dwarfs, whittier no white man
had preceded him, and concerning
which region nothing was known.
There have been reports that he
found the natives hostile and was
obliged to fight to secure provisions,
that the region was full of swamps
which made it almost impossible !;
that the difficulties of an advance
were as great as those he expert
enced when he sought to lead his
band down the right bank Of the
Congo. and was at last forced to
abandon march by land and take
to the river. The difficulties and
dangers which can serve to turn
Stanley from any purpose he may
have formed must be great, indeed
and if he has not joined Emin Bey,
it may be confidently assumed that
the nature of the country to the
west of Albert Nyanza is such that
the sacrifice of life to push on would
have been too great. This is, Of
course, assuming that Stanley is
not dead but there is no more
ground for belief that he is dead
than there is that he has attained
the ostensible end of his expedition,
the relief of Emin Bey.
Once or twice there have been
heard hints that the expedition of
Stanley was not for the sole pur-
pose of rescuing the German doc
tor, who, as far as can be learned,
is in no very great danger, but that
its object was in reality to explore
that portion of Central Africa north
of the Congo, which has never been
penetrated by a white man. Stan
ley is born explorer, and to lead
such an expedition would have
been all that he could desire. To
have rendered aid to Emin Bey
would not have interferred with his
for his route was such
as to take him through an unex-
plored region. With the addition
to his forces which the German
could probably bring, and with the
assistance which a man who has
lived for years on the edge Of the
great unexplored country to the
west could give him, the chances of
success in any great scheme of ex-
ploration would be increased. But
if Stanley could not reach Emin
Bey, as there is little reason to be-
ieve that he has, he would have
turned his course westward across
;he continent. That he has done
50 the report that recently reached
Bonny, near the mouth of the Nj
ger, seems to indicate.
If Stanley has crossed Africa
rom the Niam-Niam country to the
Niger, his expedition may prove
second only in importance to his
Quincy from Lake Tanganyika to
he Atlantic Ocean. The country
lorth of the Congo is unknown.
What it contains can hardly be
,onjectured. A nation of warlike
lwarfs which are known to guard
ts Eastern borders gives to it an
lncanny character, which can
hardly fail to arouse expectation of
more strange in the great
Unknown region between the Congo
md the Sahara and those two great
md mysterious rivers, the Nile and
he Niger. There is room for be-
ief that the real object Of Stanley's
was the exploration of
his vast and unknown territory,
md the reports from Bonny give
eason to hope that the explorer is
approaching the completion of his
,reat task.