Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-04-24
LETTER FROM STANLEY.

SEPTEMBER 4.
LONDON, April 2.-Henry NJ. Stan
ley's letter to a friend in Edinburgh
describes the journey between Yam
bunga and Albert NyanZa. 1t goes
much into detail, and is very interest
ing
Mr.. Stanley, after stating the orders
s5.en by him to Major Bartelet, goes
Oh to describe the advance of the
column. The expedition, which con-
sisted OF $50 officers and men, started
from Yambunga on June 18th. 1887.
On the first day the expedition marched
II miles along the river bank OF Yam
Earde. On the approach of the column
the natives set fire to their villages,
! and, under cover of the smoke, attacked
! the pioneers. A skirmish followed,
lasting Is minutes.
During the next six days the expedi-
| ton marched inland in an easterly
direction through densely populated
district. The natives used every art
/ known to them to molest and impede
/ the advance of the party, but, although
several conflicts took place, Stanley
did not lose a man. Finally, percelv =
ing 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 9TH. From this date until
October 18th he followed the left bank
of the Aruwhimyi. After seventeen
days of continuous marching the ex-
pedItion halted for one days rest. On
August Ist the first death occurred, the
cause being dyssntery. So far, for "a
days. the course had been singularly
successful
The party now entered a wild country
in their nine days. march through
which their sufferings multiplied and
several deaths occurred. On August
18th. we arrived at Airsibba, the
natives presented a bold front and the
party lost five men from poisoned
arrows. Lieutenant Stairs was wounded
below the heart and suffered greatly,
but he recovered. On August 31st the
expedition met party OF Manyemas,
and their misfOrtunes began on this
date. Stanley writes that he had takeI
the Congo route to avoid Arabs, wh'
would tempt his men. Within thre'
days of this unfortunate meeting =
men deserted.
! What Stanley describes as an awfu
month begins on September 18th
Leaving the station of the Arab chief
! Ugarrava, when the expedition mum
= bered 263 men, having lest &c by deser
a tion and death, and having left 56 sic
2 with Ugarrava, the march led to tn
S Arab settlement, kalingalonga. Th
J men lived on Wild fruits, fungi an
nuts. Before reaching Kalingalongs
I Stanley lost 90 men through starvation
: and desertion. a slave owner a
s Kalingalonga, named Abedsalim, di
J, his utmost to ruin the expedition
T short of open hostilities. He insiste
!, upon purchasing rifles, ammunition an
II clothing, so that the expedition left th
a station beggared. The msD were abs
n lutely naked, and were so weak tia
II they were unable to carry the boa
'e Stanley was therefore obliged to leav
IS the boat, together with 20 loads
goods, at kslingalonga. under the car
Il of Surgeon P2rke and Captain Nelson
I the latter of whom was unable
y march.
: After II days Journey, the party o
a November 1st reached Ibwiri- Th
ID Arab devastation, which had reache
'e within a few miles of Ibwiri, was s
thorough that not a native hut W;
s left standing between Ugarrava al
= lpwiri. What the Arais did not d
S, stroy the elephants destroyed, turnir
Or the whole region into a horrible wilde
IL ness.
y Mr.. Stanley continues: Our suffe
80 iugs terminated at Ibwiri. We We
10 beyond the reach OF destroyers.
III were on virgin soil, in populous II
l. gfon, Astounding with food. We ou
selves were mere skeletons. From 2
persons we now numered ia. Sever
of the party seeming to have no no
of life left, a halt was therefore ordert
Iy for the purpose of recuperating. Hit
-e- erto our people were skeptical OF wh
a we told them. The suffering had be-
eu SO awful, the calamities so numerou
pa and the forests SO endless that tn
10 refused to believe that by and by
ne would see pla rs and cattle, the Nyanz
as and Emin Pacha. They had turned
ny deaf ear to our prayers and entreati'
ay for, driven by hunger and sufferln
II, they sold their rifles and equIpmer
on for few ears of Indian corn, desert
no with the ammunition and became
'er together demoralized. Percelving th
lls mild punishment would be of no ava
he 1 resorted TO the death penalty, a
lls two of the worst cases were hanged
ne the presence of all. We halted
ld- thirteen days at IbwirI, revelling
III, fowls, goats, bananas, corn, yams. e
! The supplies were lnexhaustible, a
'a1 our people glutted themselves with 81
ED effect that we bad 173 sleek and rob
men. One had been killed with
arrow.
las When We started for Albert Nyan
cA- on November "a, We were still
'es miles from the lake. Given food,
IL distance seemed nothing. On Decem
op> Ist we sighted an open country fir
ar the top of rldge connected W
e. Mount Pisgah, which was so nan
. m from our first view of the land OF =
ne mise and plenty. On December
Az emerged upon the plains, leaving
deadly and gloomy forest behind