Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-08-08
A New Book Of Adventure.

IL tNClS IVY VIII ACouS UitO uOn D
papers and magazines were asked,
"WhO is the hero of the day 7" the
answer would be unanimous Hen.
ry NJ. Stanley. If the question
"Why ~ was asked, the answer
would be: "He found Livingstone,' y
"He crossed Africa" "He went to
find Emin Pasha." Here and there
boy would be found who would
say, "He has done more to stop
slave.trading IN Africa than any
other man," "He has opened a new
country to civilization and enter.
prise" And all these answers
would be true.
Most of boys have a vague idea
that to be a hero is to have fine
fighting qualities, and to keep these
in active operation.
There are many heroes who would
not claim this distinction, and there
are many heroes with fine fighting
qualities who perhaps showed their
truest heroism in the times when
they exercised the gentle qualities
of protector and nurse and doctor.
This may not sound heroic to the
boy whose standard of the heroic
Is the clamOr of battlefelds, the
capture OF prisoners, the overcoN.
ing Of cities.
Listen to what Stanley tells us
of the first thing he did when he
set out to find Emin Pasha:
Il regret that 1 was not able to
accomplish all that l burned to do
when / set out from England, in
January, 1887 but the total COL
lapse of the Government OF Equa-
torla thrust upon us the duty of
conveying in hammocks so many
aged and sick people, and protect
ing so many helpless, feeble folks,
that we became transformed from
a small fighting column of tried
men into a mere hospital corps, to
whom active adventure was denied.
The Governor was half blind, and
possessed much luggage; Cssati
was weakly and had to be carried ;
and ninety per cent. of their fol-
lowers were, soon after starting,
scarcely able to travel, from age,
disease, weakness, or infancy
Without sacrificing Cur sacred
charge, to assist which was the OBJ
iect of the expedition, we could
neither deviate to the right nor to
the left from the most direct road
to the seas
How heroic to burden himself IN
this unknown, hostile country, with
so great a number of helpless folks
The country seemed alive with
fighting savages, and Stanley'i
partv numbered about one hun
dred and seventy-three. When he
saw these fighting men he tells us
that he became completely dis
couraged. And then he teaches III
a lesson in faith, speaking freely o
the source or his courage. He wa
greatly discouraged when he re
membered that Pssha, with fOu
thousand men, appealed for hell
when Stanley counted but one hun
dred and seventY-three, and thes
not all reliable. He says the scout
told them terrible stories of tn
strength and numbers of the hos
tile natives through whose cOuntr,
they must pass to reach Pssha
The rescuing forces thought they
were in the region of the beleaguer
ed Governor, and the leader wa
discouraged he expected an en-
counter the next day. He says
"Tbe nj ight before, had been read
ing the exhOrtation of Moses o
Joshua. aud whether it was th'
effect of those brave words, o
whether IL was voice, | know not
but 1t appeared to me as though
heard, 'Be strong, and OF goo'
courage; fear not, nor be afraid o
them, for the Lord thy God, he
rs thai doth 60 with thee, he will
not fail thee nor forsake thee.-
When, on the next day, Mszambou
commanded his people to attac
and exterminate us, there was nc
a coward in our camp; whereas
the evening before, we exclaime
..O.-:t.., D. E.oaztna1 fop lima