The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-25

the Congo River.
While proceeding to Zanzibar in Feb
ruary, 1879, in the chartered steamer
Albion, writes Henry M. Stanley, the
celebrated African explorer, in Pail
Mall Budget, we stopped ut Alden to
take in coal. Presently a bright Somali
youth, who had padded his own canoe,
swung himself aboard our ship, and
after making fast his little craft with
lanyard accosted me with: want o
boy. sir?"
No"
"Me good boy, sir. Do anything"
mo, thank you"
81 hear you 90 to Africa and want
men. been to America, been fore
the mast, been coachman, been butler
In Brooklyn with Mr.. Hines. I'd like
to go with you, sir"
why, you are quite prodigyl How
old are you?"
Seventeen, SIR"
I now examined him more CLOSELY.
He was tall, shapely, comedy, intelli-
gent young man, with curly silk hair,
and a look of quite ready for any
thing" about him.
"Well, what wages do you wnnt?"
Anything you like to give. sir. Dol
lar, two dollar three-dollar a month.
You find out yorsef by-m'-by what l
worth. If I'm no good, no money"
why, you arc extraordinary. I'll
give you ten shillings n month, and we
shall see afterward Eh?"
"Awright, sir"
And upon those terms Dualla, the
Somali boy, entered my service. For
several months l did not pay much
heed to him. There had been no occa-
sion for any exhibition of superior abil-
ity or courage.
One day new rifles were served to
company No l. They were taught
how to manipulate them and how to
disconnect their parts. Finally n tar
get was set up at point blank range
and prize was offered to the best
shot, and in order to show the Zanzi-
baris what good shooting was, five
European officers were requested to
step forward and exhibit their skill.
But, to my shame, not one white man
hit the target.
Dualla was called upon. Straight aa
an arrow he stood second and fred,
plugging the target near the center.
At Stanley Pool an officer requested
the loan of our new steel barge that he
might proceed up river and visit his
friends at the next station.
The steel boat pulled twelve oars,
and completely equipped and launched
on the Upper Congo had cost us about
eight hundred pounds 1t was lens
with an injunction that on his return
he should draw her up carefully on the
beach out of harms way and paddock
her chain. The lieutenant faithfully
promised, went up the river, and, on
coming back, reported himself and as
sured me of the security Of the boat
The next morning the boat was need
ed for a special service. But she was
not on the beach and no one knew
what had become of her.
The lieutenant was questioned, and
1t was discovered that he had given or
ders for securing the boat, but had not
waited to see his orders carried out.
The crew, it then TRANSFERRED, had SIM
ply rowed her ashore, and each man
had sprung out and gone to his own
that the surge from the Great cataract,
which was but two miles beloeS, had
entered the cove, lifted the boat clear
off the strand. and receding towards the
terrible vortex had borne her away
with all her equipments aboard.
Though it appeared hopeless that we
should ever hear of the boat again,
four several triplets of messengers
were dispatched in as many directions
across the country to warn the natives
down the river and offer rewards for
her recovery, and 1 set off with Dualla
and another towards'the Great cataract
of Kintamo, over the hill of Leopold
vile.
On reaching the summit overlooking
the cataract, Stretch, one Of the young
attendants, with his sharp eyes de-
tected the boat about midstream
stranded on reef, the lower part of
which seemed to hang over the edge of
the roaring cataract With my glass
could see her like tiny speck COM
pared to the mile-wide river. Above
the reef the puissant Congo was treach-
erously placid, but we, who had SO
often crossed it two miles above the
station within view of the gulf, had
often occasion to dread its terrible
velocity, and below the reef 1T was all
scene of remorsclcss fury--n count
less series of tossing waves and spray
crowded crests, and here and there
veritable trwcrs which were no sooner
formed than they seemed to be swung
bodily into the air to be followed
by others. The eye was fascinated by
Tie wild picture of tremendous strength
and incessant rage which the Great
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