The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1891-01-26

Nyanza one lake or a number of small
lakes and marshes? What district did
Bakers Lake reach? Did Tanganyika
belong to the Nile or Congo? What river
was that on whose banks Livingstone
died? For this expedition prepared by
a course of instruction in taking measure
ments, attitudes and distances. Starting
with 356 Zanzibaris from the coast in
October, 1874, we got within few miles
OF the great inland sea discovered by
Spoke in 1859. We had q cedar boat in
sections, but our bearers were 50 terror
lied at the great lake and the stories told
by the natives that they refused to go ON.
By the aid of rewards we started with a
crew of ten in very respondent mood.
The first day we Scudded before storm
for hours; on the second large herd of
hlppopotaml chased US us across the shall
lows, with red maws and cleaning fangs,
so that, when safe, we almost crushed
each others hands in gratitude. On the
sixth day we drew too near the natives
and received poisonous arrows and stones
till we seemed terribly alone, man and
beast being seemingly combined to de-
stroy us. We reached on the tenth day a
beautiful island with grassy slopes, great
crowds of natives, cattle and sheep, a rare
and pleasant landscape with many
islands. Here we first began to
LOVE AFRICA FOR ITS OWN SAKE.
One morning bull hippopotamus
lifted the boat almost out of the water,
and then we really fell into trap set for
us by the willy natives, who spoiled their
plans by showing their heads too soon
above the grass, as we sailed off laughing.
Then storms and rain, savages and clouds
of spears. On the northeast coast we saw
crowds Of savages in canoes. One crew
came after us, infiamed with banana
wine, but we fired pistol into the water
and they all jumped overheard while we
sailed away admiring their taste for
swimming. Passing Bubomba five canoes
held up bananas, Sugarcane and potatoes,
but on coming up showed a different dc
meanor and would have made themselves
masters of our persons. a moments
hesitation and we would have been lost,
but repeating rifles and an explosive
shell in one of their canoes drove them
off. We did not realize our danger then,
for behind that island We're 200 war canoes
of the Wabombaw, capable of holding 15.-
900 men. AT Uganda we had rough
welcome and the King asked us ques-
tons. How well could the white man
shoot? So we found young crocodile
and four ounce shell shattered his head,
amidst the applause of King Mtesa and
his 800 wives. Then he wished to know
WHAT AN ANGEL WAS LIKE.
/ had never met one, but from recollec-
tons of old pictures / described beings of
great size with large wings, after the
style OF Michael Angelo. Warmer APP
plause greeted me than l have ever re-
ceived in America, and they all slapped
their thighs for joy. The third request
was that / should make him a Christian
This was no small order. But they were
ardent disciples, and the chiefs We'd with
one another in absorbing the details OF
the Christian story. The fourth request
was that | should invite my countrymen
to send him teachers, for he said the light
would not dawn till the teachers came.
That wish was gratiiied, and brought a
great boon to his people, and the time
will come when the civilized Africans
will compare pagan Mtesa with the pagan
Ethelbert of England and his readiness
to hear the gospel. There are 5000 Chris
tan converts in Uganda now, so we need
only to persevere.
On again round the western coast we
sailed, with clear blue skies and bright
expanse of water, groves of bananas, for
ests and waving papyrus, till we came to
Bwanga, hungry and tired. The natives
invited us to enter, and we sailed up q
small bay, when they seized our boat and
hauled it high and dry. But in their de-
sire to avoid loss Of life they consulted
100 yards away what to do with us. Our
men took hold, pushed the boat back into
the water and we jumped in. Just as we
got few feet from the shore two hippopot-
ami rose and came after US, but two shots
settled them, while the natives came out
in canoes after us. A few well-directed
shots sank their vessels and we then got
out into the lake without oars and Were
driven for twelve hours before great
storm. At the end of fifty-seven days we
got back to camp and were greeted as if
from the grave. \ few months later
WE STRUCK ACROSS UGANDA,
And near latitude 500, near the equator,
we saw new lake, but the natives gath
cred and we were forced to retreat. In
May rs we reached Tanganyika, and
two months later had circumnavigated it
and proved that it had no outlet, but that
in two or three years, if it rose as it had
done for the previous thirty, it would
flow into the Lualaba, and this has since
happened. Going west in November,
1876, we stood at Lwango, the furthest
point reached by Livingstone, the beauti-
full scene upon which he had looked, but
had to turn back from. The western half
of the map was still blank. This river
which we saw flowing north was reported
by Arabs and natives to flow always
north. Our work lay before us. Pocock
suggested that we toss up coin, heads
we go south, tails for the Lualaba, and
three times running it went against us.
Then we took long and short straw,
and this also went against us, but our
conScienceS pointed us to go forward, so
we resolved to follow the river. The
country now entered was different from
any we had been in, no more rolling
plains covered with verdure, but dense
forests, SO dark that the light of day never
penetrates them. For weeks we went
through this shadowland of steaming
moisture, wading in jungly depths,
shiyering at pools of stagnant water, the
ground black with mold and covered
with rotten logs, colonies of sharp, biting
insects and millions of creepers. The
Arabs rebelled, headed by Tippo Tibb, so
we sought the river again, got together a
flotilla of canoes, babe
FAREWELL TO TIpPoo AND HIS ARABS
And padded north. The river was about
a mile wide, fianked by dark walls OF
dense, unbroken forest and hostile ma
tives. Again and again were their war
canoes repulsed by the fire of our men,
and the roll of their war-drums rang out
all along. Tributary after tributary en-
tered and the great river grew ever wider.
Sometimes the shores were glowing
with red blossoms, or the bourbaN and its
snowy dome of white blossoms, or aca-
cia blooms, till all was a scene of perfect
peace and beauty, till there arose the war
cry of the cannibals and the thunderous
roll of their war drums was drowned in
the volleyS from our guns. Then north
west we went till the river flowed west in
dozen different channels till it united
again, and great rivers, 500 yards, half q
mile, mile wide, poured in, till at last
the great Mobangi rolls its volume into
the great current. Then, gathering its
waters together, the river flows steadily,
smoothly and strong for $50 miles to
Stanley Pool, then for two miles quietly
till it falls over broken reefs. For
five months we toiled there among the
rapids, sometimes dragging the canoes
up mountains 1000 feet high and down
the other side, lifting the canoes bodily