Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-28
Mrs. F'en "b Sheldon.

endless forests or burning plains of an un-
known, uncivilized country.
"Yes, yes, that is exactly what mean tn
say" she replied, very cheerfully, even en-
Enthusiastically. II am only going to take
one companion with me from here. or rather
one attendant, AID that is a woman, a for
mer stewar6ess on one of the Cunard steam
ers, whom the company have put at nv
disposal. She knows something about
African travelling, is a thoroughly trained
nurse, and altogether quite an exceptional
woman. She and 1 will be the oniy white
persons in the expedition. When we get to
Zanzibar | shall engage as many natives as
require, and we shall then start for the in
terioi as soon as possible
The Size of the Party.
Have you any idea as to how large &
party you will be, all told?'
81 should say about so natives will be
sufficient, but / shall have to see about that
when / get to Zanzibar. OF course. the few
er attendants require the more convenient
it will be. have had over thousand ap-
plicatlons from lawyers, scientists, doctors,
and all kinds OF men who want to join the
expedition, but 1 am determined to take out
only my attendant. If you want 1, 900 men
you have to take what you can get; if Won
want only 80 you can have picked men. You
see, in this, as in many other things, 1 have
the advantage of being able to profit by the
experience of former travellers, and I can
choose from among the men who proved the
most trustworthy during the Stanley expe-
dition."
"Then are you going to take only native
men?"
"A few women, too, the wives of some OF
the men who go with me. 1 want to see
how they live among their own people.
They can do the cooking for the men. and
other domestic work, and that in itself will
be an interesting study. My attendant will,
of course, cook for me; for, although 1 do
not mean to live as if I were at home and
had my maid to arrange my hair and see to
all my wants, do not think 1 could 90
quite as far as to share their meals with the
natives"
"And what is the object Of your enter
prisiDg plan?"
'Let me tell you at once that there is ab
solutely no truth in the foolish rumors which
have been spread that I am going for mis-
sionary or other philanthropic, or even for
commercial or geographical purposes. 1
have the interest of neither committee nor
company at heart, nor that of any one spe-
cial person except Mrs. French Sheldon her
self. go on my own responsibility and for
my own purposes, one of which is that
want information for finishing book have
had in hand for some time past. Another Of
my objects Is
To Study the Natives,
especially the women and children, as long
as they are still in their primitive state. In
year or two a great highway will have been
opened across Africa, and there will be no
more primitive natives; everybody will be
going across Africa, and the real interest
will cease. Before that comes about whole
world of interest is hidden in the unknown
regions. For instance, from Mombassa, the
starting point of the expedition, l go on to
Klliman jaro, where no white woman has
ever been. It will be intensely interesting
to watch and study the home life of the ma
tives in these places
And from Kilimaniaro?" 1 asked in
great expectation, and with the picture of
Mr.. Stanley's majestic "black forest" rising
once again before my mental vision.
"What am going to do after that depends
on a certain circumstance which 1 cannot
explain Just vet, but have not the slightest
mbitioE to so across the black forest I
see no object in going through that wilder
ness, and as to long-distance marches L do
not care if don't walk single mile in
Africa. l want to see the people, the places
where they live, and get to know as much as
1 can gather about the different tribes"
'Of course you take Photographic ap-
paratus?"
''Oh dear, yes. I have eight or nine, so
as not to be beaten if the one or other fails
me. No, am no botanist, but one of the
studies hope to make, and which. to me, is
full of interest, is that OF some of the con-
stellation OF stars and planets which you
never see except in the South. Mrs. Rich
ard Proctor is giving me some hlnts-1 can
hardly call them lessons, for have no time
for real Iessons-on the subject"
"But how are you going to travel if you
don't care for walklng?"
Quite a Wonderful Structure.
ga chair is being made for me-quite
wonderful structure-in which 1 shall be
carried by the natives, I shall have IL car
riers, four of whom will take it in turns.
The chair is wonderfully Light, aud so in