Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-04-20

ava hhN al llOhl lNlS hAlN. ll ! uhI tAktl
The Congo route u avJ,d Tie Arabs, tina; the
might not tamler with the men aId temp
Ia III TO desert by presents.
IHenty-six OF our men deserted within
three Gays OF this unfortunate meeting.
September ID e arrived at camp.
Opposite the station at U~garrowwas, 81
food was scarce, lie had devastated au i'm
mense region. We halted but one day neal
him, on such friendly terms as | could make
vita such a man. ] made a trade ana lief,
tfty.six men with him.. All the Sonalis pre-.
ferred 10 rest at Ugarrowwas to contiAuous
marching.
Five Soudanese were also left. II would
have been certain death for all of them 10
have accompanied US to the Cgarrowwss.
They might possibly recover. FIVE dollars a
month per head was to be paid to this man
for their food.
TIMED RANKs.
September Is we left U~garrowwas and en-
OCTOBER Is entered n settlement occupied by
kiiingalonga, d Zanzibar slave belonging 10
Aoed- Biu-Salim, an Old ARAB, whose bloody
deeds are recorded In the Congo and the
founding Of It's Tree state. Tnis proved an
awful month To us. Not one member OF cur
expedition, white or black, will forgetit.
Our advance numbered 263 souls on leav-
Ing Ugarrow Mas Out OF the 800 we lost
-~iXty-six mel by desertion and death between
fambTSa and C~Sarrowwas, and had left
~hfty-siG men sick Ia the Arab station.
On reaching KtlougololVas W discovered
we had lost dlty.ive men By starvation and
desertion.
sTARyED AND NAKED.
We had lived principally ON wild fruit,
oranges and a large, flat, bean-shaped nut.
Slaves OF Abed- Bin-Salim did their almost to
ruin the expedition-short OF open hostii.
ities. They purchased rifles, ammunition
aud clothing, go that when We left their sta.
| ton We were tpppAre1 and nnr me- ahra-
lutely NAKED. We were SO weak physically
that We were unable to carry the boat and
about seventy loads OF goods.
We therefore left goods and boats at XII
ongalongas under Surgeon Parke and Captain
! Nelson, the latter of whom was unable to
march. After twelve days march We ar
rived at a native settlement called Ibwiri, be-
tween Ktlongalongas and Ibwtri. Our con-
diiion had not improved.
ARA DEVASTATION
The Arab devastation had reached within a
few miles Of Ibwiri, u devastation 80 complete
that not one native hut was standing between
Ugarrowwas aud Ibwiri, and what had not
been destroyed by slaves OF Ugarrowwas and
Abed- Bln-Salim the elephants destroyed and
turned the whole region into a horrible will
derness. But at Ibwiri we were beyond the
utmost reach OF destroyers. We were on
virgin soil In a populous region, Astounding
with food. Our suffering from hunger, when
began on August 81, terminated on Noyem-
Der II.
Ourselves and men are skeletons. Out of
$50 we now only numbered Ia, several hay
ing no hope OF life left.
sKEPTICIsM Q SURPRISING.
A halt was ordered for the people TO recu-
perate. Hitherto they were skeptical Of what
we told them. The suffering had been 90
awful, calamities SC numerous, forests so end
less apparently, that they refused to believe
that 10y and by We should see plains and cat
tie, and the Nyanza, and the white man,
Emit Pasha.
We felt as though We were dragging them
along with a chain round our necks.
beyond these raiders said !, Giles a
country untouched, where food is abundant
and where you will forget your mtseries. SO
cheer up, boys; be men. Press on a little
~faster.n
They were deaf to our prayers aLl cntrea-
ties, FOR, driven by hunger and suffering, they
sold their rifles and equipments for a few ears
of Indian corn, deserted with the ammunition
and were altogetheg demoraiized,
ARGUMENT by DEATH.
PerCciviDg that prayers aud entrcaties and
mild punishments were OF no avail ! then re-
sorted to visit upon the wretches the death
penalty.
Two Of the worst cases were accordingly
taken and hanged in presence OF all.
We halted thirteen days IN Ibwiri and rev.
tIitO VI AOhISS SOalS, idhdudr, corn, hNctl
potatoes, vans, beans, etc. The supplies
were iueXhaustible and the people glutted
themtelves. Tho result was that ! had l73
(on WAS killed by an arrow. mostly sleek
anu robust men, when | set out for Albert
NyanZa on November X.
There were still l2o miles TO the lake, but
with food such a dtsta nee seemed nothing.
THE PROMISED AM
On December | we sighted the open coun-
try from the top Of the ridge connected With
Mt. Plsgah-so named because II was our
first view OF the land Of promise and plenty.
December 5 we emerged upon the plains,
and the deadly gloomy forest was behind.
After 100 days continuous gloom we saw
the light Of day shining all around, making
all things so beautiful. We thought we
never saw grass so green or country SO lovely.
The men literally leaped and yelled with Joy,
and raced over with their burdens.
All This was the old spirit of former expe-
dittons, successfully completed and all of a
sudden revived.
Woe to the native aggressor whom we may
meet. However powerful he may be, with
such spirit men will fling themselves like
wolves on sheep, numbers not considered.
II had been the eternal forest that had
made abject and slavish the creatures SO bru-
tally plundered by Arab slaves.
BNEMIE AHEAD.
At kilougaongas, on the 9Th, we camc to
the country Of powerful chief, Mazamboni.
His villages we're ecattercd over q great ex-
tent OF country go thickly that there was no
other road except through their villages or
fields. From a long distance the natives
sighted us and were prepared.
We seized a hill as soon as we arrived In
the center Of a mass of villages, about p. IN.
on The Oh OF December. and occupied 1t,
building q zareba rs fast as billhooks could
cut the brashwood.
pealing across the intervening valleys. PEG.
pie gathered by hundreds from every point
war horns and drums announced that a strug
gle was about to take place.
Such natives as were too bold we checked
with little effort. A slight ekirmish ended In
our capturing a COW, The first beef we had
tasted since we left the ocean. Night passed
peacefully, both sides preparing for the NOR
row.
PRELIMINARY PARLEY.
On the morning Of the 10th we attempted
to open negotiations. The natives were
anxious TO know who We were, and we were
,qually anxious to CLEAN news OF the land
that threatened To ruin the expedition
Hours passed In talking, both parties keep.
ing a respectable distance apart. The ma
tives said they Were subject to Uganda but,
that Ksbbarega WAS their real king, RMszam.
bOni holding the country for Ksbbarega.
They foaliy accepted cloth and brass rods
to show their Kug Mszamboni, and hts
answer WAS 10 be given next day.
Meantime hostilities were suspended. The
morning Of The 18th dawned. AT s a. M. We
w. RI startJ11 ar hparipu a man prorIafyp{pc