Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-15
HENRY M. STANLEY.
DESCRIPTION OF HIS MARCH
THROUGH AFRICA.
One Hundred and Sixty Days Sur
rounded With Disease and
Death-Forest Dangers.

A special to the Examiner from New York
gives the letter written by Henry NJ. Stanley
to A. L. Bruce, of Edinburgh, DR.. Living
stones son-in-law. 1t lis given below in full ::
CENTRAL AFRICA, S. Mupe Ituria, R.,
September 4, 1888.
Ny Dear Mr.. Bruce: write this letter not be-
cause l know of any opportunity by which
could safely send it to you, but because owe
you many letter. and the memory of your
kindness pricks me to have written word or
two ready by me in case a future opportunity
offers. My last letter was dated yesterday, and
sent TO our mutual friend, McKinnon for the
Royal Geographical Society and your pet the
Scottish, but the courier has gone. or, rather.
separated from me.
While in England, considering the best routes
open to the .Nyapza Albert, l thought l was
very liberal in allowing myself two weeks
march to cross the forest region lying between
the Congo and the grassland but you NAV
imagine our feelings when month saw us
marching, tearing, blowing and cutting through
that same continuous forest. 1t took 160 DAYS
before We could say, g Thank Gsd, we are out
OF the darkness at last
DAYS LONG TO BE REMEMBERED.
AT one time we were all, whites and blacks,
almost .'done up September October and
half of the month of November. iSSS. will not be
forgotten by US. october will be specially mem
orable TO us for the suffering we endured. Our
officers are heartily sick of the forest but the
loyal blacks, band OF $780, followed me once
again into the wild, trackless forest, with its
hundreds of in, onveniences. to assist their com
rades OF the rear column
Try and imagine some OF the inconvenience.
Take a thick Scottish copse dripping with rain:
imagine this copse to be mere underground,
nourished under the impenetrable shade of an
Gent trees ranging from 100 to $50 feet high;
briars and thorns abundant; lazy creeks mean.
dering through the depths of the jungle, and
sometimes a deep, rapid river. Imagine this
forest and jungle in all stages of decay and
growths-old trees falling, leaning periiously
over, fallen PROSTATE: ants and insects of ali
kinds, sizes and colors murnuring around;
monkeys and chimpanzees above; queer noises,
birds and animals; crashes in the jungle, as
troops OF elephants rush away; dwarfs, with
poisoned arrows, securely hidden behind some
buttress or IN some dark recess; strong, brown
bodied aborigines with terribly sharp spears,
standing poised, still as dead stumps rain pat
tering down on you every other day in the year;
an impure atmosphere with its dread conse-
quences, fever and dysentery; gloom through
out the day and darkness throughout the night;
and, then, If you will imagine such a forest ex-
tending the entire distance from Plymouth to
Peterhead. you will have fair idea of some of
the inconvenience endured by us from June
18th to December 5, 1857, and from June /, 1888,
to the present time. This will continue from
the present date till about December, 1SSS,when
! hope then 10 say a last farewell to the Congo
forest,
EXTENT OF THE FOREST.
Now that We have gone through this forest
region, only feel a surprise that did not give
a greater latitude to my ideas respecting its ex-
might have besn deduced from our knowledge
of the great source of moisture necessary to sup
ply the forest with the requisite sap and vitality
Think OF the large extent of the South Atlantic
ocean, whose yapors are blown during nine
months of the year in this direction think of
the broad Congo, varying from one TO eighteen
miles wide, which has a stretch of 4 miles
supplying another Unreasonable quantity of
moisture to be distilled into rain and mist and
dew over this Unsuitable forest and then an
other 600 miles of the Aruwiml or Sturi itself
thot thara
about $50 days of rain every year in this region
and that the Congo forest covers such wide
area.
Until we set foot on the grass land, something
like fifty miles west of the Albert Nyanza, we
saw nothing that looked q smile or q kind
thought or moral sensation.
DESIZESs OF THE JUNGLE
The aborigines are wild, utterly savage srd
1ncorrigibly yindictive. The dwarfs, called
Wanbutti, are worse still, tar worse. Animal
life is likewise SO wild and shy that no sport is
to be enjoyed. The gloom of the forest is per-
petual. the face OF the river rejecting It's black
walls of vegetation is dark and somber.
The heavens resemble a wintry sky in Eng
land. The face of nature and life is fixed and
loyless. If the sun changes through the black
clouds enveloping it and kindly wind brushes
the mass OF vapor below the horizon and the
bright light reveals our surroundings, it is only
10 tantalize us with short-liyed vision of bril-
liancy anc beauty of verdure.
Emerging from the forest finally, we all be.
came enraptured like captive unfettered and
set free. We rejoiced at sight of the blue
heaven and freely bathed IN the warm sun
shine, and aches and gloomy thoughts and un-
wholesome ideas were banished.
You have heard how the London citizen, after
months of devotion to business in the gaseous
atmosphere of that great city, falls into rapture
at sight OF the green fields and hedges mead
ows and trees. And how his emotions crowd
ing on his dazed senses are indescribable. have
seen Derby day, and fancied then / only saw
madmen, for great bearded, hoary-headed fell
lows, though well-dressed enough, behaved
in the most idiotic fashion.
MADE MAD WITH JOY.
Well, this December 5th we became suddenly
smitten to madness in the same manner.
Had you seen us you would have thought we
had lost our senses or that 'Ligion' had en-
tered and taken possession Of US.
We raced with our loads over wide unfenced
field like an English park for the softness of the
grass, and herds of buffalo, Gland and roam an
telope stood on either side with pointed ears and
wide eyes, wondering at the sudden wave of
human beings, yelling with Joy, as they issued
out of the dark depths of the forest.
On the confines of this forest, near village
which was rich in sugar cane, ripe bananas
tobacco, Indian corn and other productions of
aboriginal husbaudry, we came across woman
lying asleep. / believe she was leper and an
outeast, but she was undoubtedly ugly, vicious
and old, and being old she was obstinate.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
Ipracticed all kinds of seductive arts to get her
10 90 something besides mumbling, but of no
avail. Curiosity having drawn toward us about
hundred of our people she fastened her fixed
eyes on one young fellow, who was smooth
faced and good-looking. and smiled. l caused
him to sit near her and she become voluble
enough Beauty and youth had tanned the
=. beast"
From her talk we learned that there was a
powerful tribe, called the Bazanza, with great
King. TO the northeast of our camp of whom
we might be we'll afraid, as the people were as
numerous as grass Had we heard this ten
days earlier might have become anxious for
the result, but it now only drew contemptu-
Gus smile from the people. for each one, since
he had seen the grassland and evidences OF
meat. had been transformed into hero.
INVADING THE eRAssLANDs.
We poured out on the plain a frantic multi.
tude, but after an hour or two we became an
orderly column.
Into the empty villags of the open country we
proceeded TO regale ourselves on melon rich
Favored bananas and plantsins aid great pots
full of wine. The fowls, unaware of the pres
ence of hungry mob, were knocked down,
plucked, roasted or boiled. The goats, media.
lively browsing or chewing the cud, were sud