The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-11
Mr.. Cn.nler Compelled to Return.

Mr.. W. Aston oHANIKn has been forced
to abandon his explorations. and IL expect.
ed to reach the Indian Ocean this week
Seventeen months ago he started up the
Tana River with one OF the strongest and
best equipped parties that ever entered
Africa. We know OF no respect In which
his plans. equipment. or management Ia
open to important criticism. He has sue
cumbed to circumstances that would de-
feat any expedition. The three facts that
combined to ruin his enterprise, after he
had fairly entered the unknown region he
hoped to reveal, were the great mortality
among the donkeys and camels. his main
reliance for transport: the total refusal OF
the Rendile tribe. whom he was the first
white man to see to sell him a single ami
NAL. though they own camels and donkeys
by hundreds OF thousands; and, finally. the
deserbon OF all but a handful OF his por-
tiers. Left stranded among the hills north
east OF the great equatorial mountain.
Kenla. whittier he had retreated from the
north. and unable to procure the reinforce
ments for which he had sent to the coast,
there was nothing for the young explorer
to do except to leave to q happier time or
moro fortunate investigator tho splendid
scheme he had planned.
The attempt to conduct donkeys and cam
els up through the humid Tana Valley was
purely experimental and was far from sue
cessful. The refusal Of the rich herders on
the dry uplands north OF Kenia to sell him
animals. seems characteristic OF the people
in this little known part Of Africa. Still
further north. Count TELEKI, though rich
In wire. cottons. and beads. was a beggar.
The natives owned immense herds OF cattle
and donkeys. but would not sell a single
animal. The desertion OF CHANLER's por-
ters was an evil to which all expeditions
starting from Zanzibar are peculiarly liza
BILE. These porters will not start without
large part OF their pay In advance. and Fan
zibar Is a magnet that draws them back IL
they can manage to desert the service they
have entered. 1t was this evil that decided
STANLEY not to start from Zanzibar on his
EMIN expedition. Sixty men OF TELEKI's
party deserted In q day. and those he
caught wore for long time heavy chains
on their necks as a warning. CHAMBER,
therefore. has met with no new phase OF
the manifold troubles and perplexities that
beset the African explorer.
q
bition to solve some OF the mysteries of
Somali Land and Gala Land. These form
the largest part Of inhabited Africa where
original discoveries OF Importance are yet
to be made. The Arabs themselves call the
Somali country the Unknown Land"
Nine years ago the JAMES brothers met,
within two hundred miles OF the Indian
Ocean. tribes to whom not only the use
but the existence OF firearms was I'M
known. though ever since guns were in
vented ships have traded along the Somali
coast. Thisimmense region. extending from
Cape Guardafui. on the north. skirting
the southern TANKS OF the Abyssinian high
lands to the upper Nile. and bounded on the
south by the Tana River is almost a blank
on the maps. The largest map Of Africa.
except one. shows on single sheet 900
square miles OF this region. and hardly a
geographic fact Is indicated that is based
on anything better than native hearsay.
We are still indebted to the missionary
for every scrap OF information
We have about many thousands Of square
miles Of Gala Land. He never saw that
region. but during long years OF residence
on the east coast he collected all the in
he could gather from Gala ma
lives who struggled down to the coast. His
volumes OF manuscript notes were placed
IN the hands Of one OF the most thorough
African scholars in Europe. and tho result
of his sitting and collation. is the sole source |
Of map making for a very large area.
About half OF the dozen or fifteen explor- |
ers who entered the territories where CHAN |
LHR proposed to workshave been killed, and |
he others have failed entirely OF met with |
,nly moderate success. Still, from native |
'eports and from what a few explorers have |
'een We have derived some definite notions.
We see several millions OF people. mixture
II Semitic, Hamitic. and negro elements. |
most OF them fanatical Mohammedans, lly- |
nR on these uplands. We see that though |
part OF the area is semi-arid. a still larger
'art Is an elevated and fairly fertile plateau
IN which the tribesmen raise millions OF |
lorses. donkeys. cattle. sheep. and cameIs.
We see many thousands OF primitive farm
rs. who never saw a white man. IooseninR
he soil with rude ploughs. men and women
working together In the fields. We know
hat south OF Abyssinla live one OF
he four groups of African pigmies.
he Dohos and kindred tribes. No
white man has seen them in their homes.
'ut several travellers Of authority have met
hem, and from these independent sources
70 have derived considerable information
s to their existence. customs. and habitat.
there is said TO be a large lake somewhere
Iortheast OF Lake Rudolph; and We know OF
rivers whose sources and the
anger part OF their courses are still unde-
ermined. One Of these rivers. the Juba.
las been assembled In = steamer for $50 miles
rom the sea. but Ne do not know where 1t
ises. Another river. the Webb. Is known
0 be hundreds Of miles in length. but its
relations far inland are still
mystery. We have learned the TemArkA-
lie fact that this river. after nearing the IH-
ian Ocean, in important volume. parallels
be cost for 3 long distance nd hnAllY