St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-11
LETTER FROM STANLEY.
The Suferines and Trials of His Expe
difion.

difion.
Henry M. Stanlev's letter to an
Edinburg friend describes the journey
between Yambunga and Albert Nyan-
"a. 1t goes much into detail and Is
very interesting. Following are ex-
tracts from the letter:
The expedition, which consisted OF
3S9 officers and men, started from
Yambunga on June %, 1887. On the
first day the expedition marched II
miles along the river bank to Yam
karde. On the approach of the col
umn the natives set fire to their VII
lagos, and under cover of the smoke
attacked the pioneers. A sk1r1nlsh
followed, lasting 5 minutes. During
the next six days the expedition
marched inland in an easterly dlrec-
ton through a densely populated dis
trict. The natives used every art
known to them to modest and impede
the advance of the party, but, al
though several conflicts took place,
Stanley did not loose a man. Final
ly, perceiving that the path he had
been following was taking him out OF
his proper course, Stanley struck out
| toward the Northeast, and again
reached the river on July 5. From
this date until Oct. IS he followed
the left bank of the Aruwhimi. After
II days of continuous marching the
expedition halted for one days rest.
On Aug. 1 the first death occurred,
the cause being dysentery. So far,
for 81 days, the course had been sin
gularly successful. The party now
entered wild country, in their nine
days march, through which their
sufferings multiplied and several
deaths occurred. On Aug. 13, on ar
irving at Airsibba, the natives pre-
scented a bold front, and the party
lost five men from poisoned arrows.
Lieut. Stairs was woundedbelow the
heart and suffered greatly, but he re-
covered. On Aug. 81 the expedition
met a party of Manyemas, and their
misfortunes began on this date.
Before reaching Kilinga Tonga
Stanley lost 50 men through starva-
ton and desertiOn. A slave owner
near Kilinga Tonga, named Abedsa-
lin, did his utmost to ruin the eXpe-
insisted upon purchasing rifles, am
| anu 81 llleiI lilS
expedition left the station beggared.
The men were absolutely naked and
were SO weak that they were unable
to carry the boat. Stanley was
therefore obliged to leave the boat,
together with 70 loads of goods, at
kilinga Tonga, under the care of
Surgeon Parke and Capt. Nelson, the
latter of whom was unable to march.
After a twelve days journey the
party on Nov. - reached Ibwiri.
The Arab devastation, which had
reached within a few miles of Ibwiri,
was so thorough that not native
hut was left standing between Ugar-
rava and Ibwiri. What the Arabs
did not destroy the elephants de-
strOyed, turning the whole region in
to horrible wilderness.
Continuing he writes: Our suffer
ings terminated at Ibwiri. We were
beyond the reach of destroyers. We
were on virgin soil in populous re-
giOn Astounding with food. We our
selves were mere skeletons. From
2S9 persons, we now numbered ia.
Several of the party seemed to have
no hope of life left, a halt was there
fore ordered for the purpose of recu-
perating. Hitherto our people were
sceptical of what we told them. The
suffering had been SO awful, the ca
lamit1eS SO numerous and the forests
so endless that they refused to be-
lieve that bv-and-by we would see
plains and cattle, the Nyanza and
Emin Pasha They had turned a
deaf ear to our prayers and entreat-
les, for, driven by hunger and suffer
ing, they sold their rifles and equip
mentS for few ears of Indian corn,
deserted with the ammunition and
became altogether demoralized. Per
ceiving that mild punishment would
be of no avail, resOrted to the death
were hanged in the presence of all.
We halted for Is days at Ibwiri, re-
Yelling on fowls, goats, bananas,
corn, yams, etc. The supplies were
inexhaustible and our people glutted
themselves with such effect that we
| had 173 sleek and robust men.
When we started for Albert Nyan-
"a on Nov. "a we were still 126 miles
from the lake Given food, the dis
lance seemed nothing. On Dec. 1 we
sighted an open country from the top
of a ridge connected with Mount
| PiSgah, which was so named from
our first view of the land of promise
and plenty On Dec. 5 we emerged
on the plains, leaving the deadly and
gloomy forest behind us. After $50
days of continuous gloom we saw
the light of broad day shining all
around, making all things beautiful.
| We thought we had never seen grass
SO green or a country SO lovely. The
men literally leaped and yelled with
JOY and raced over the ground with
their burdens. All! This was the
old spirit of former expeditions, sue
cessfully completed and all suddenly
revived. Woe betide the native ag-
gressor whom we may meet. How
| ever powerful, with such spirit the
men will fling themselves upon him
like wolves on sheep. Numbers will
not be considered. 1t was the eter-
nal forest that had made them the
| abject, slavish creatures so brutally
plundered by Arab slaves at KilOnga
| Tonga.
| On the 9th we entered the country
of the powerful Chief Mazamboni.
The villages were scattered SO thickly
that no road except through them
could be found. The natives sighted
us, but we were prepared. We seized
| a hill as soon as we arrived in the
| centre of mass of villages and built
a zareba as fast as billhooks could
cut the brushwood. The war cries
were terrible from hill to hill, pealing
across the intervening valleys. The
| people gathered in hundreds at every
point, war horns and drums an
nouncing the struggle. After slight