The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-04-03
STANLEY'S TRIP.
Letter From the African Explorer,
Detailing the Events Of a
Long Journey.
A Month OF Suffering In the Forest. In
Which Many Lives Are
Sacrificed,
JOY Of the Party when Lake Nyansa Was
Reaehed-The Meeting with
Euin PashA.


letter describes the trip between Yambunga
and Albert Nyanza. II goes much into
details and Is very interesting. The expe-
dltion, which consisted OF 1853 officers and
men, started from Yambunga June 2s,
1887. ON the first day the expedition
marched twelve miles along the river bank
TO YaknArda. During the next six days
the expedition marched inland in an east
erly direction through densely populated
district. The natives used every art known
| 70 modest and impede the advance Of the
party, but although several conflicts took
place, the party did not lose man.
From July ! until Oct, IL he fol
lowed the left bank OF the Arnwhmi.
| on Aug the first death occurred,
the cause being dysentery. SO far for
thirty days the voyage had been singular
| ly successful The party now entered a
| wild country, In their nine days march
through which their suiferings multiplied
and several deaths occurred. Aug. 2S, on
arriving at Airsibbia, the natives presented
bold front and the party lost five men
dition met party ~ Manye-
mas, and their misfortunes began ON
this date. Within three days of
| this unfortunate meeting twenty-slx men
had deserted. What Stanley describes as
an awful month began sept. IL. Leaving
the station of the Arab chief, ugarraya,
when the expedition numbered 2t3 men,
having lost sixtysx by deserti0n and death
and having left ninety SIX sick with ugar'
rava, the route led 10 the Arab settlement
| of Kalinga Longa. The men lived on wild
| fruits, fungi and nuts.
| Before reaching Kilings Longa, Stanley
| lost fifty-fve men through starvation and
desertion. A slave owner at kIlinga Longa
| did his utmost 10 ruin the expedition,
short Of open hostilities. lie insisted on
his purchasing rifles, ammunition and
clothing, SO that the expedition left the
| station beggared. The men were abs0-
solutely naked and were so weak they
were unable "a carry the boat Stanley
was therefore Obliged TO leave the boat, To-
gether with seventy loads of goods at
kilinga Longa. under the care OF Surgeon
Parke and Capt Nilsson, the latter of
whom was unable 10 march. After n
twelve days journey the party on NOV. z
| reached lbwiri. The Arab devastation
| which had reached within a few miles OF
Ibwiri was so thorough that not native
hut was left standing between Ugarravn
and lbwini. What the Arabs did not de-
stroy, the elephants destroyed, turning the
whole region into horrible wilderness.
| Stanley continues. "Our sufierings termin-
ated at Ibwini. We were beyond the reach
| of our destroyers. We were on virgin soil
| and In region abounding with food. We
ourselves were mere skeletons, and halt
| was therefore ordered for the purpose OF
| recuperating. From 2Sg persons we now
numbered ia. Our suffering had been 80
awful, the calamitles 50 numerous and The
| forests 80 endless that our people refused
| 20 believe we would see the plains and cat
tie, the NyaDza and Emin Pasba.
/ nd 10
TO our prayers and entreaties and
driven by hunger and suffering they sold
| their rifles and equipments for few ears
of Indian corn. Perceiving that mild pun
ishment would be Of no avail, | res0rted IA
| the death penalty, and two OF the worst
cases were hanged In the presence of all.
| We waited for thirteen days at lbwiri.
Supplies were inexhaustlole and our peo,
| ple glutted themselves with such effect that
we had l73 sleek and robust men when
we started for Albert Nyanza, Nov. "a
| We were still 1876 miles from the lake.
| Given food, the distance seemed nothing.
| On Dec. 8, we emerged upon the plains,
leaving the deadly and gloomy forest
behind us. After 100 days OF
continuous gloon, we saw the light OF
broad day shining all around, making all
things beautiful. The men literally leaped
and yelled with Joy and raced over the
ground with their burdens. On the 9Th we
entered the country of the powerful chief
Mazamboni. The natives sighted us, bul
we were prepared. The war cries were
terrible from hill to hill, pealing across the
Intervening valleys The people gathered
| In hundreds at every point, war horns and
| drums announcing the coming struggle
| After n slight skirmish. ending In our cap
turing a COW, the first beef We had tasted
since we left the ocean, the night passed
peacefully, both sides preparing for thu
morrow"
Here Stanley narrates how the negotia
tions with the natives failed; how de
tachment Of forty persons led by Lieut.
Stairs, and another OF thirty, LETT Iarebs
and assaulted and carried the villages
driving the natives into a general rout
The march was resumed on the 12lh.
There were constant light fights all alonl
the route. "On the afternoon of the 18th,
says Stanley, 1--WE sighted the Nyanza
with Kayalli, the objective point of the ex
pedition, six miles OIL. | told the men q
prepare 10 see Nyanza;they murmured an,
doubted. When they saw Nyanzl below
them, many came 10 kiss my hands w
were now $500 feet above the sea level an,
2, 900 feet above the Albert Nyanza. Ate
| a short halt 10 enjoy the prospect, We com
menced the rugged and stony descent. BE
fore the rear guard had descended 100 fee
natives from the plateau poured after them
keeping the rear guard busy until within
few hundred feet of the Nyanza plain. w
afterward approached the village Of KakOn
90, situated at the southwest corner o
Albert lake. Three hours were spent b,
us Ia attempting 10 make friends
but we slgnally failed. The,
would not exchange the blood o
brotherhood, because they never heard o
any white people coming from the west sid
Of the lake. They would not accept an.
| ~ thuu -.
know who we were but they would Civ
US W ater 10 drink and show us the road ul
10 Nyan-Sassic. From these singular pee
pie we learned they had heard there WAS
white man at unyOrO, but they had neve
heard OF any white man being on the ives
side, nor had they ever seen any steamer
on the lake. We were showl
mile from the lake and the
began To consider our position. Ny cOur
lers from Zanzibar had evidently not a.
rived or Emir Pasha with his two steam
ers would have paid the southwest side O
the lake visit TO prepare the natives H.
our coming. Ny boat was at Killing
LOnga, 100 miles distant, and there was n
canoe obtsinable. There was no pla
feasible except 10 retreat to lbwiri, build
fort, send a party back TO KiliDga Long
for boat, store up every load In n
fort not conveyable, leave garriso
In the fort to hold IL, march back 20 Albe
lake and send boat In search OF Eml
Pasha. This was the plan which, Aft'
lengthy discussions with the officers, I r
solved upon. Jan. we were In lbwi
once again. After few days rest Lieu
Stairs, with 100 men, was sent 10 kilinI
Longa 10 bring the boat and goods.
the return OF Stairs with the boat and goo,
| he was sent 10 UgRrrow. lie was % brIr
no the cOnyalescents. soon after his a
parture ] was attacked by gastritis al
an abscess on the arm. After a month
, careful nursing | recovered, ar
set out again for Albert Nyanza on Api
z, accompanied BY JosephsoD and Park
A garrison was left at Fort Bod0 {
April 25 we arrived In the Mozambln
country again. This time, after some hei
tation, the MOzsmbini decid, 10 X han
the blood of brotherhood with me. III
% example was followed by ali the 9th
chiefs a. far as the NyanZa. Every dli
Guilty seemed now 10 be removed. FU
Was supplied gratis When one daJ
|