Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-03-23
DUALLA WAS A HERO.
Only Somali Boy, But He Had
Nerve and Courage.
hcnry NJ Stanley Tells How He Saved n
steel Cargo from Perlshing In the
Great Cataract of Kintamo on
the Congo River.

the Congo River.
While proceeding to Zanzibar in Feb
ruary, 1870, in the chartered steamer
Albion, writes Henry M. Stanley, the
celebrated 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
alanyard accosted me with: want
boy, sir?"
mo"
INC GOOD boy, sir. Do anything"
mo, thank YOU"
VI hear you go to Africa and want
men. been to America, been fore
the mast, been coachman, been butler
In Brooklyn with Mr.. lines. I'd like
TO go with you, SIR"
why, you are quite prodigy! How
old are you?'
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 want?"
Any thing you like to give. sir. Dol
lar, two dollar, three-dollar 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 aftCrward Eh?"
"Aw-right, SIR"
And upon those terms Dualla, the
Somali boy, entered my service. For
several months | 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.
But, to my shame, not one white man
hit the target.
Dualla was called upon. Straight as
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 lent
with an injunction that on his return
he should draw her up carefully on the
beach out of harm's 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
II 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 transpired, had SIM
nlv 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 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 set off with Dualla
o,d another towards.thc Great cataract
Of Kintamo, over the hill OF Leopold
Vile.
On reaching the summit overlooking
tbc cataract, Stretch, one OF the young
attendants, with his sharp eyes do
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
nared TO the mile-wide river. Above
The reef the puissant Congo was treach
erously placid, but we, who had Sc
often crossed it two miles above the
station within view of the gulf hao
often occasion to dread its terrible
velocity, and below the reef 1t was a.
come of remorseless fury-a count
lsss series of tossing waves and spray
crowded crests, and here and there
yeritable trwe-s which were no sooner
formed than they seemed to DC swune
bodily into the air to be folioweo
Nv % others. The eye was fascinated By
the wild picture of tremendous strengs. eng. !.
and incessant rage which the 1Iea'
cataract furnished at this view " =, -
one could gaze at 1t for hours for it'
snguestion Of ceaseless passion power
and its awful inauiangness, wn1le ~
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