The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-20
A FORTUNE IN AFRICA.
Wonderful Success Of q Poor
Young Missionary.
In Eight Years. limo Through ExcclIont
business Investments no Becomes
Rich Man with Threo
ThouSand Porters.

About eight years ago young man
named Stokes went to the Victoria Nv
nnza as n missionary in the service of
the Church Missionary society. He
liked the beautiful country of Uganda,
took naturally to pioneer ways, had
tact enough to make himself popular
with the king ind head men. and be-
came person of considerable influence
on the north shores of Victoria Nyanza.
He helped build the mission houses,
studied the language, superintendent
the digging of wells and kept his eye
open for the main chance.
1t occurred to him, says the Chicago
Tribune, after he had lived year or
two in Uganda, that bright young
man with little capital could make
fortune in trade between Victoria N.Y.
anza and the coast. No such thing as a
white trader had ever been heard of in
that region. The people were all crazy
to get guns and ammunition, white
cloth, beads and trinkets of many sorts
There was great deal of ivory in the
country, and plenty of men could DO
got to take it to the coast. 1t could be
sold for large sum and purchased for
cided TO leave missionary work to those
who lacked business instinct and
money making talent. lie sent his res
ignation to the society and embarked
upon the career of trader.
He was able to interest q few of his
friends in England, and invested several
thousand dollars in the goods. A small
caravan took his little stock in trade to
the great lake, where Stokes sold it out
in hurry, taking ivory in exchange.
The fruits of his first commercial adj
venture were gratifying, and he invest
ed his larger capital in Il bigger stock of
supplies and tried it again. Then came
the rebellion in Uganda by which King
MwanSa was driven from the throne
and took refuge among the Catholic
missionaries south of tho lake, where
he renamed for over n year. When u
favorable opportunity occurred for him
to return to his kingdom, Stokes did
another good piece of business. The
king needed guns and ammunition.
Stokes had these supplies in abundance,
and he armed considerable part of the
kings forces. This settled the fate of
the brother WHO had usurped Mwanga's
throne. Ills forces were not SO we'll
armed rs those of Mwanga. Stokes
therefore contributed in most impor-
tant way TO the success of Mwanga's at
tack upon his brother in Uganda, and
he got big price for the valuable rs
sistance he had given. In fact, he Sc
cured the practical monopoly of tho
ivory trade of Uganda.
It is not known how much Stokes is
worth to-day, but he is n rich man.
Eight years ago he was q humble mis-
sionary, but there is not particle OF
doubt that now he could live in luxury
on the interest of his money. Very
large caravans have come from the in
terror to Zanzibar and returned to inner
Africa, but not even the big caravans OF
Tippu lib are so large as those now
employed by Stokes. Two or three
months ago Stokes was reported to be
on the coast ut Saadani with force of
three thousand big, strapping fellows
from Unyamwesi. He needed every
one of them to carry the goods he was
about to dispatch to Victoria Nyanza.
Visitors to his camp say that it present
ed stirring spectacle and that it was
very picturesque sight at night when
the. camp fires illumined the groups of
huts in which his three thousand por-
ters were lodging. Stokes himself oc-
cupied large native house about half a
mile from his camp.
His conspicuous success shows what
1t is possible to achieve in land from
which many people have affirmed no
commercial good could come. Stokes
has become n power in Central African
affairs, and the present prospects are
that he will greatly increase his for.