Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-28
THE CONGO FOREST.
Il. n srAHLEY's PERILous PASSAGE
THROUGH II.
The Explorers Description Of the 100 Days
Spent In It's Gloomy shade Amid
Many Dangsra

w. OthuieJ, uhJed III NeutIhl hlllco,
September l., 1883, and addressed TO Dir.
A. l.. Bruce. son-in-law of DR.. Living
ston. who lives in Edinburgh. 1t adds
nothing essentially new to the letter
from Stanley recently sent from London
by cable, but the following account Of
the journey through the forest region TO
the Grass Land viii bear reprinting:
"While In England considering the
best routes open to the Nyanza (Albert),
/ thought was very liberal in allowing
myself two weeks march to cross the
forest region lying between the Congo
and the Grass Land. but you may inn
agine our feelings when month after
month saw us marching, tearing, plough
ing, cutting, through that same continu-
Gus forest. 1t took us one-hundred and
sixty days before we could say, THANK
God. We are out OF the darkness at last
At one time we we're all-whites and
blacks-almost 'doue up September,
October, and half OF that month Of
November, 1887, will not be forgotten
by us. October will be specially
memorable to us for the sutferings
we endured. Our officers are heartily
sick OF the forest, but the loyal blacks, a
band Of 1870, followed me once again
into the wild, trsckless forest, with its
hundreds OF Inconvenience, to assist
their comrades OF the rear column. Try
and imagine some of these inconveni-
ences. Take thick Scottish copse
dripping with rain. Imagine this copse
to be Il mere underground nourished I'M
der the impenetrable shade of ancient
trees ranging from 100 to $50 feet high
briers and thorns abundant lazy creeks
meandering through the depths Of the
Jungle, and sometimes q deep afiu-
ent OF n great river Imagine this
forest and jungle in all stages
Of decay and growth-old trees
falling, leaning perilously over, fallen
PROSTATE ants and insects of all kinds,
sizes, and colors, murmuring around
monkeys and chimpanzees above, queer
noises OF birds and animals, crashes IN
the jungle as troops of elephants rush
away dwarfs with poisoned arrows Sc
curely hidden behind some buttress or
in some dark recess; strong, brown
bodied nborigines with terribly sharp
spears, standing poised, still as dead
stumps rain pattering down on you
every other day in the year an impure
atmosphere, with its dread consequences,
fever and dysentery; gloom through
out the day, and darkness almost
palpaple throughout tho night, and
then if you viii imagine such n
forest extending the entire distance
from Plymouth to Peterhead. you
will have a fair idea of some OF the in
conveDienccs endured by us from June
18th to December ), 1887, and from
June l, 1883. to the present date to
continue again from the present date
till about December 10, 1888, when [
hope to pay :, last farewell to the Congo
forest Now that we have gone through
and through this forest region | only
feel Il surprise that / did not give
greater latitude to my Ideas respecting
it5 extent for bad We thought OF it, it
is only what might have been dedIced
from our knowledge Of the great sources
OF moisture necessary to supply
the forest with the requisite sap and Vi
tally. Think OF the large extent OF
South Atlantic Ocean. whose vapors are
blown during nine months of the year in
this direction. Think OF the broad
Congo. varying from one TO sixteen
miles wide, which has stretch OF 1900
miles, supplying another immeasurable
quantity OF moisture to be distilled into
rain and mist and dew over this insatia-
hle forest, and then another 600 miles of
the Aruwimi or Ituri itself, and then you
b.. tlak
$50 days Of rain every year In this region
aud that the Congo forest covers such a
wide area.
Until we set foot on the grassland,
something like fifty miles west Of the
Albert Nyanza, We saw nothing that
looked q smile or Il kind thought or
moral sensation. The abOrigines are
wild, utterly savage, and incorrigibly
vindictiye. The dwaris-cailed Wan
butti-are worse still, far worse. Ami
nal life is likewise so wild and shy that
no sport is to be enjoyed. The gloom
OF the forest is perpetual. The face of
the river, rejecting its black walls of
vegetation, Is dark and sombre. Tho
sky one half the time every day resem-
bles wintry sky in England the face Of
nature and life is fixed and ioyless. Ii
the sun charges through the black clouds
enyelopingit, and kindly wind brushes
the masses OF vapor below the horizon
aud the bright light reveals our sur
roundiugs, it is only to tantalize US with
shOre-liyed vision OF brllIiapcy and
beauty Of verfure.
Emerging from the forest finally we
all became enraptured. Like a captive
unieitered and set free We rejoiced at
sight Of the blue cope Of Heaven, and
freely bathed in the warm sunshine, and
aches and gloomy thoughts and un-
wholesome ideas were banished. You
have heard how the London cit, after
months Of devotion to business in the
gaseous atmosphere of that great city,
falls into rapture at sight of green fields /
and hedges, meadows and trees, and |
how his emotions, crowding on his /
daZed senses, are indescribable. In
deed, | have seen a Derby day once,
and 1 fGncied then that | only saw mad /
men, for great bearded, hoary-headed /
fellows. though well dressed enough, be- |
haved III the most idiOtic fashion,
hluhLlu8 lub tluAlc. W clis Ou AlilS rlu !
of December we became suddenly smit-
ten with madness in the same manner. /
had you seen us you would have thought /
We had lost our senses or that Legion
had entered and taken possession of us.
We raced with our loads over wide, |
unfenced field like an English park for /
the softness Of its grass, and herds OF |
buffalo, Gland and roam antelope stood |
on either hand with pointed ears and |
wide eyes, wondering at the sudden wave /
Of human beings yelling with JOY las they |
issued out OF the dark depths OF the |
forest.
1--WE poured out on the plain frantic /
multitude, but after An hour or two We /
became an orderly column. Into the /
emptied villages Of the open country we 4
proceeded to regale ourselves on melon, /
rich-fayored bananas, and plantaus,
and great pots full of wine. The fowls,
unaware Of the presence of a hungry /
mob, were knocked down, plucked, /
roasted, or broiled; the goats, medita-
lively browsing or chewing the 7
II .-r-o 0t,t .o.voI ,r1