The Worthington advance., 1893-02-23
DUALLA WAS A HERO.
Only 9 somau Boy, But He He.d
: Nerve and Courage.

Henry N. Stanley Tells How He Saved 4
Steel Barge from Perishlng In the
Great Cataract of Kintamo on
the Congo River.
While proceeding to Zanzibar in Feb
ruary. 1879, in the chartered steamer
Albion, writes Henry NJ. Stanley, the
cele brated African explorer, in Pail
Mall Budget. we stopped at Alden to
take in coal. Presently 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 q
boy. sir?"
mo"
me good boy, sir. Do anything."
mo, thank you"
II hear you go to Africa and want
men. l been to America, been fore
the mast, been coachman, been butler
in Brooklyn with Mr.. Hines. I'd like
to 60 with you, SIR"
"Why, you are quite prodigy! How
old are your
Seventeen, SIR"
now examined him more closely.
He was tall, shapely, comely, intelli-
gent young man, with curly silk hair.
and look of "quite ready for any,
thing" about him.
''Well. what wages do you want2''
"Anything you like to give. sir. Dol
lar, two dollar. three-dollar q month.
You find out yorsef by-m'-by what l
worth. If I'm no good, no money"
"Why, you are extraordinary. I'll
give you ten sbillings month, and we
shall see afterward Eh?''
"Aw-right, 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 a 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.
Bnt, to my shame, not one white man
hit the target.
Dualla was called upon. Straight as
an arrow he stood a 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 lent
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 special service. But she was
not on the beach and no one knew
what had become of her.
The lieutenant was questioned, and
it was discovered that he had given or
waited to see his orders carried out.
The crew, it then transpired, had SIM
ply rowed her ashore, and each man
had sprung out and gone to his own
mess. 1t was then obvious to all of us
that the surge from the Great cataract,
which was but two miles below, 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 t lIat 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 l. set off with Dualla
and another towards.th 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
q scene of remorseless fury--a count
less series of tossing waves and spray
crowded crests, and here and there
.verita ble trwers which were no sooner
formed than they seemed to be swung
bodily into che air to be followed
by Others. The eye was fascinated by
the wild picture of tremendous strength
and incessant rage which the Great
cataract furnished at this view of it.
One could gaze at it for hours for its
suggestion of ceaseless passion, power,
and its awful lngulfingness, while its
hoarse roar is in fit volume and accom-
paniment to the watery horror.
sat down and studied the river above
the reef. From our side the boat was
quite seven hundred yards and about
one thousand yards from the opposite
tank. The low rock on which it Law
was probably fifty yards in width and
rose about a foot above the water, and
by one of those surges caused by the
vicinity of the cataract and shifting
currents the boat had doubtless been
:swayed aside and had rested on what
appeared to be the beginning of
groove or channel Various plans were
vaguely formed for saving it, but were
dismissed owing to the imminent dan
ger. A. foot rise in the river would also
q sweep the boat over the reef into Ger.
tain destruction.
We returned to the station. At our
: beach were a paddle steamer and a
canoe. We set 4 mark by driving apeg
at the water line and resolved to wait
and see whether tho y;vor vrso ~ fo11