Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-08-07
CHAPTER XVII.

CHAPTER XVII
1 WHAT HAD BEEN DONE AT KILIMANJARo DUR
ING EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS MEMORABLE
! YEAR
The country of Wamasai is situated in
| the eastern part of Central Africa, be-
tween the coast of Zanzibar and the re.
/ gions of the large lakes, where the Vic
! toria Nyanza and the Tanganyika form
great interior ocean. The part best
known is that which has been visited
/ by the Englishman Johnston, Count
4 Tekeli and the German DR.. Meyer. This
mountainous land is under the SOW
ereignty of Sultan Bali-Bali, whose peo-
pie consist Of thirty thousand to forty
thousand negroes.
4 Three degrees below the equator is
situated the chain of Kilimanjaro, which
here reaches its greatest altitude
! Among other peaks is the Mount of
Kibo, with an altitude of 5,7O4 meters.
! The important ruler of this region has
under his domination towards the south,
north and west the vast and fertile
/ plains of Wamasai, which stretch from
the lake Of Victoria Nyanza across the
/ province of Mozambique
small village of Kisongo, the regular
residence of the Sultan. This capital is
in reality only q large hamlet. 1t is &C.
cupied by a very intelligent and indus
trious people, who work themselves as
industriously as their slaves under the
iron rule which Bali-BaH imposes on
4 them.
The Sultan rightly ranked as one
OF the most remarkable rulers Of
! those people Of Central Africa who try
70 escape the influence, or, more cor
rectly, tho domination Of England. At
+ this capital OF Kisongo President Bar
/ bicane and Captain NicholL accom- panied
/ by six mon who were devoted to them,
I arrived in the first week Of January Of
4 the current year. On leaving the
! United States, whence their departure
was only known to Mrs. Evangelina
/ Scorbitt and j. T. Maston, they had
embarked in New York for the Cape Of
Good Hope. whence a vessel transported
them to Zanzibar, on the island of the
same name There q bark secretly
chartered by the Sultan brought them
to the port of Mombas. on the African
7 q
I An escort sent BY the Sultan waited for
them at this port, and after hard vow
age Of nearly a hundred leagues across
this terrible region, INSTRUCTED by for
ests, deep marshes, exc, they arrived at
the royal residence. After knowing the
calculations Of j. T. Maston. President
Barbicane had already put himself in
communication with Bali-Bali through
the help of a Swedish explorer who had
passed several years in this part of
Africa. As the Sultan had become one
of their most ardent admirers since
their trip to the moon trip whose rep
utation had gone as far as these coun-
tries, he felt a great friendship for
these courageous Yankees. Without
telling him for what purpose it was
Impey Barbieane had easily obtained
permission from the Sultan to under
take important works aC the southern
foot of Kilimaniaro. In return for a
large sum, estimated at $500. GOO, Bali
Bali had bound himself to furnish them
all the workmen necessary. In other
words. the Captain and his friends were
authorized to do at Kiliman faro what
pose OF the large chain 81 mountains ae-
eording to thoir desires: they could tear
them down if they liked, or they could
take them away i they would be able
to do so. In consequence Of these ar
engagements which the Sultan had made
at his own figure, the North Polar Prac-
teal Association was as much proprie-
tor Of this country as they We're OF the
Polar region. The reception which
President Barbicanc and Captain Nicholl
received at Kisongo was very cordial.
Bali-Bali displayed an admiration
amounting to alteration for these ceIe-
brated travellers who had made this dan
gerous voyage - reach the country
around the North Pole.
He had, in shert. an extraordinary
sympathy for the creators Of these mvs-
terious operations which were going to
be accomplished in his kingdom. He
also promised them absolute secrecy on
his part as we'll as on the part Of his
people, whose cooperation was assured
to them. Not a single negro who
worked at their shop would be allowed
to leave them for single day under
pain of the most severe punishment
This is how this operation was vailed in
mystery so that the most active and
sharpest agents of America and Europe
failed to penetrate It. If it was finally
discovered it must have been that the
Sultan modified mis- severe rules after
the accomplishment Of the works, and
that there were traitors and babblers
even among negroes. In this way
Richard w Trust, consul at Zanzibar,
had received wind Of what was going on
at Kilimanjaro. But then at that date,
the 18th Of Septemb Der, it was too late to
stop President Barbicane in the accom-