Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-09-16
w A IN AFRICA.
Or. Johnston Tells OF His Exp srisnce; il
Crossing the Continent.

New YORK, Sept. 10.-Dr. Jane,
two years in Africa, is in this city or
his way home. DIR. Johnston is @
Scotchman by birth, but has spent TIE
greater part Of his life in Cuba. lie
decided in the latter part of 1890 to ex
plore Africa and set out on his OWE
hook. In describing his journey hi
said:
II went in Mt Benguella, west coast
and travelled across through the Bar
otto country to Zambezi and from
there to Victoria Falls. | then wen,
across TO Kalihara desert to Bcchuans
land and thence through the famou:
Maczuna land, where hundreds are
now focking in search Of gold. Within
a space of fifty square Yards l saw the
graves of sixty-four white men. There
is considerable gold to be found there,
but not in sufficient quantities to jus
tify the great risks of life. | then
travelled through Garougoza, a country
rarely visited by white men, to Lake
Nyassa and came down the Shire river
to Chinde, the outlet of the Zambezi
river.
IL was the only white man in my
party. i never fired a shot in anger,
nor lost a single native either by sick.
ness or accident, and | had a hundred
with me most of the time. j found
that by dealing fairly with the blacks
and trading honestly with them their
friendship was easily cultivated. II
any showed signs of hostility | had my
men fire a volley from the half Dozen
repeating winchesters | took withtfne,
just to show them what l could do And
the effect was magical. for they NJ
never seen repeating weapons befqHs.
South Central Africa, south al the
equator, is n bowling wilderness and ]
believe never will be a fit place OF
abode for a white man. Only Katfiri
thrive there. Being n physician my
knowledge Of medicine stood me liz
good stead, as | was able to relieve Q
great deal of suffering. The native,
grew very %covetous of my q~uinine an6
other drugs and stores and occasionally
we had to fold our tents and silently
steal away at dead OF night to escape
an attack for plundering purposes. Foi
days at a time we travelled through
swamps waist deep, camping occasion
ally on a rise to recover from the
shakes
STANLEY meant well, but he had not
the proper control over his men, who
stole from the /. abltants, and Stanley
offered them in recompense a few
handkerchiefs and asked, What arc
you going TO do about it?'
About Emin Pasha, l don't believe
he is dead. lie is a man who dwelt in
peace with the natives. He only
adopted extreme measures in case OF
absolute necessity, and | cannot be
lieve that he ordered the six Arabs
strung up as reported. | believe that
Emin is still alive and shall continue to
think SO until hear something more
tangible. Reports of death out
there amount TO nothing, In fact,
! have been reported dead to my
friends several times. For fourteen
months we had no communication with
civilization. Caravans coming into o
settlement report seeing a white mans
head on q pole and some prominent eX.
plorer is put down as dead. shall re
main here a few days before going to
London TO make arrangements Tor the
publication of my book, Reality VS.
Romance in Central Africa, which is tc
appear here and in London stimuli
t%aneously."
DIR. Johnston has a valuable collec
ton of photographs, which he ma.
taken, and some of these will be use6
in his book. The others he intends t.
use on n forthcoming lecture tour.