The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-11-25
STARVATION IN THE DARK CONTINENT.
The Greatest Need Of Food Which
Stanley Has Ever Experienced.
His Weakened Followers succumb
After Days Of Incessant Fighting.
The story Told In a Letter From the
Explorer Himself.

LONDON, November 24.-Mr. Mackinnon,
chairman Of the Emin relief committee, has
received letter from Stanley, dated August
9TH, and written at Kafurro. an Arab settle
ment on the Karagwe. Stanley recounts the
arrangements made by him to meet Emin.
After describing how he hunted up the miss
ing rear column, he continues: 81 have al
ready told yon that the rear column was In
deplorable state. Out Of 102 men remaining,
doubted whether 80 would live to reach the
lake. Having collected a large number Of
canoes, the goods and sick men were trans
ported in such a smooth and expeditions
manner that there were remarkably few
casualties in the remnant of the rear column
Wild natives, having repeatedly defeated
the Ugarrowas raiders. and by this discov-
cred the extent of their own strength, gave
considerable trouble, and inflicted considera-
BILE loss among our best men, who bad al
ways to bear the brunt OF the fighting aud
the fatigue of the padding. When progress
by river became too tedious and difficult, an
order to cast off the canoes was given. This
was four days journey above Ugarrowas sta
tion. About 800 miles above Banalaya we
decided, as the south bank Of the Itura river
was pretty we'll known to us, to try the
north bank, although we should have to
traverse for some days despoiled lands that
had been a common centre for the Ugarro-
was and Kilongalages bands Of raiders. We
were about 100 miles from the grass land.
which opened up prospect Of future feasts
of beef veal and mutton, and pleasing Va
riety Of vegetables, we'll oil and butter for
cooking"
Stanley describes the daily conflicts with
the Wambutti dwarfs, which he found very
numerous in this region. The Wambuttis
chung to the northeast route and Stanley,
f0ll0WA6
elephant tracks. He says: "On December
we were compelled to halt for forage in the
middle of vast forest at a spot indicated by
the chart as not more than two or three
people had seen. While we resided at Fort
Bodo, 1 sent 150 rifles to. a settlement 10
miles back, and many Manyema followers
undertook to follow them. On the
sixth day Of the absence Uf the foragers, .af-
ter having occupied four days in recalcnlat-
ing my observations from Ugarrawas to Lake
Albert, began to wonder why they did not
return. On the fifth day, having distributed
all the flour in camp, and having killed the
only goat we possessed, l was compelled to
open the officers provision boxes and take a
pound of pot butter with two cupfuls OF my
flour to make imitation Cruel, there being
nothing else save tea, coffee. sugar and sago
in boxes. In the afternoon boy died aud
the condition of the majority Of the rest was
most dishearteaing. Some could not
stand. falling down in the effort to dc. SO.
These sights acted on my nerves until l
began to feel moral and physical sympa-
thy, as though weakness was contagious:
Before night,a Mahdi carried died the last OF
our Somalis gave signs Of collapse, aud the
few Soudanese with us were scarcely able to
move; After holding council with Bonnly
and the chiefs, Bonny offered to stay with
| ten men in camp If provided ten days food
| for each person, while l would set out to
| search for the missing men. Food to make a
| light cupful of Cruel for ten men for ten days
| was not difficult to procure. The sick and fee
| good fortune. Accordingly store OF butter,
milk, flour and biscuit was prepared and
| handed over to the charge of Bonny On the
| afternoon Of the seventh day we mustered
| everybody besides the garrison Of the camps
| 10 men. Sadi, the Manyema chief, surren-
| dered IA of his men to their doom. Kibba-
bora, another chief. abandoned his brother
| and Fund.-, another Manyema chief, lef
one Of his wives and her little boy. We lef
| 26 feeble and sick wretches, already past al
hope unless food could be brought then
1--WE travelled nine miles that Afternoon
and passed several dead people on the road
| Early on the eighth day of their absence
from camp we met the missing party, march.
| ing in easy fashion. When we were met, the
| pace was altered, and in twenty-six hours
| from leaving Star Station camp, we were
| back with an abundance of cruel and por
| ridge, boiling bananas, boiling plantaine
| Ioasting meat and simmering soup. This
was my nearest approach to absolute starva-
| tion in allmy African experience. Altogether
| 2l persons succumbed in this dreadful camp
| December II the Itura river was reached
and crossed the next day. For the two fol
| lowing days we steered through the forest
regardless of path and reached Fort Bodo
| plantation the Goth and found Lieutenant
| Stairs and garrison of five souls remaining
| out OF SO left there.