Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-01-02
STANLEY'S PERIL.
The Great Explorers Most
Thrilling Experience.
FoRAeETHAT WAS NEARLY FATAL

, Story Told by Stanley to IA Few Friends
During II Social Visit at Cicago-Ah
Cool Head, Steady Nerve and Quick
Work Get Him and His Men Out of a
Mighty Close Corner on Lake Nyanza-
Out OF One Danger Into Another-Mrs.
Stanley a listener.
CHICAGO, Jan. 2-Mr. and Mrs. Henry
NJ Stanley arrived in this city yesterday
and are occupying a suite of apartments
ut the Auditorium. They were rendered
n reception by the Union League club this
afternoon and mt night the explorer will
lecture at the Auditorium In a room in
q at building last night a few gentlemen
met to have social talk with the great
explorer. His beautiful wife was present
and To the small company he told, in an
swer TO the question-"What was your
most thrilling experience in all your Afri-
can travelsy' the following:
| An Excursion for Food.
when we had pitched our main camp
mt Lake Victoria Nyanza we learned what
hunger meant had between three hun
bred and four hundred men in my care,
and with ten of them | started out in a
boat to circumnavigate the lake in search
of food and provisions rs the main object |
of the remarkable trip. OF course, the |
exploration of the shores of the lake, |
was another object discovered an is |
land, Bombeira, as | subsequently learned,
where saw banana trees. ! said to my
self that here was remote from the main
land-perhaps the first white man that
ever approached the standard | con.
CiIIdpI fbuf the natives If H. i'll |
inhabited, must be an unsophisticated
and, consequently, not dangerous peo-
pie. We had suffered from hunger so ex-
cessively that the stomachs of the natives
in my boat were fairly pucked up with
emptiness.
An InhospitabIe Reception
I'VE edged on TO little baylet close up
to the shore and then | noticed that the
people on the island We're leaping and :
bounding down TO the waters edge to &
meet us. But they were evidently not 9
bound for friendly meeting, for saw '
them put rocks in slings and the blades I
Of their many spears glistened in the Z
bright sunlight. told my boys To stop
owing, but they insisted that the natives |
Va the island belonged to the Nyada PEG.
DE, from whose king had come only a
ew days ago and that we consequently
were safe. Despite my strict orders NV
men kept implying their oars until we were
about fifty feet from the island and could .
see every movement of the natives plainly, !
For moment their warlike preparations r
ceased, and, with the friendly salutation. ,
We are brothers, a number of them
jumped into the shallow water up to their c
waists until about fifty of them had q
crowded around the boat. s
The Boat Dragged High and Dry
Fully 300 more were on the SHORE .
Those at the boat threw our hawser ashore s
anti those on the land began to drag the 5
BOAT over the surf and the rocks and peb- I
Dies of the beach until it was about sixty t
Get high and dry ON the land. Our boat
vas tender affair, made from brittle
'edar for the purpose of making it so light
hat 1t could be carried on the heads of |
ny native followers hundreds of miles I
overland. We were still in the boat. and {
was fearful that the dragging might
break the bottom. Then what were we TO |
10. with our camp coo miles Distant At
he same time became alarmed at the at I
itnde OF the native warriors who raved all I
'round IL, brandishing their battle axes
'nd swinging their clubs. Our boatswsip
vas the first to be struck on the head with
! club, fortunately not sufficiently hard 10
disable him
His Majesty Interferes
Twice rose up, revolver in hand. but :
fight was so absolutely hopeless that I
esiSted. What could do with ten men
gaiSt 800 or 400? One of the natives
eized me 10y the hair and pulled nv head
'ack as if to cut my throat. | could not I
ven rely upon my own men in this emer- ]
,ency for their hunger was stronger than
heir reason. Why the natives did not 9
inish us all then and there
10 not know. One of my men
! little fellow named King Kerango end. |
VI the suspense He shouted to the ma.
ives that all we wanted was food; that,
we were mastered Kawanro, of Upan-
Ia, VINO was our friend, would ayenge rs
The king of the hostile natives, Checka. r
hen raised his spear and drove his follow .
rs away from the boat !
Preparing for an Attack
Two hours later two of the hostiies lie
irtfn TT.tif am honr AIM El4s+is ,;,a-1
others took our oars. Again we were left r
hone until : in the afternoon when txo
woman approached us cautiously and told
Us mat the only way in which We could I
-udues -\ihg Checka to spare Us was IN oar
some money with him TO form a SORT ~ II
b'ocd brotherhood. The women w. c
quickly driven away by the warriors r,bo
iiso ufoNe away some cattle grazin,, La' Il
tween our boat and the edge of a ,rogJ Il
knew then that an attack would f,IlnT,, a;
III Is needless to describe the tLonr,Lt,'
thaI crowded my mind. Nv utmost H. n
'erhees was against my boat cr.,, ,h,. 4,
n pa brought us into this danger Nv di.
opeEih@ my orders, and IdiI ma, -, =,
words IN letting them know what feit "
.,,, Made "a StrategeticaI Move. u
lhey were willing to fight hrt ,rt,,.
good could contest do Shrewdnr.s ba 'i',C TO
.es'ne Us, not bravery told one ac ~ " ha
men Satenni, To take four of the hrf..'. '"y !
'olOrod clotEs l-s '