The Princeton union., 1894-03-22

men to each on shore to regulate the speed,
Stanley and five men staid in the boat.
Scarcely had she struck the rushing current
when the stern cable slackened, and the
barge was whirled around out of control of
her oarsmen, and one cableman was dragged
from his footing. The poor fellow clung to
the cable and was finally hauled on board
the Lady Alice, which was soon entirely
clear and flying at a terrible speed among
the powders which blocked the rivers
course. Oars were of no use except to
strengthen the helm. The natives were
completely unnamed when they saw how
powerless the white master and his magic
boat were when once fairly within the grasp
of the waters resistless force.
I'VE are lost! Yes, we are lost!' theY
cried as Stanley shouted and gestured to
the rowers, Pull for your livesr' The
current bore the craft along past bay
where the party had expected to land. Sud-
denly rumbling noise was heard, and the
mound of a whirlpool began to form in the
pathway ahead The boat was borne swift
ly to the summit, and as the waters began
to fall Stanley again spurred the rowers to
their best efforts. After narrow escapes
from collision with the rocks in the break
ers the craft was safely beached.
In her next adventure the Lady Alice
met with a serious disaster. It happened
one day when Frank Pocock was leading
the fleet, he being unable to travel afoot,
and Stanley was plotting the land column.
1t was Pocock's first effort in steering over
dangerous cataracts and in spite of fire.
quent signals from Stanley, who on shore
! never lost sight of his boat, she was sent
by huge wave crashing against rock
that stove hole in her stern. Luckily the
crew did not fall into a panic, and by shouts
and gestures they were told how to get the
wounded craft ashore.
The break was mended as well as it could
be-, but still it leaked, andwhen next it was
necessary to take to the river Stanley took
charge and left Pocock, who was crippled
by his disease, lying on shore. AS soon as
a native village said to be just ahead of the
party could be reached by boat Stanley was
to send back carriers to fetch his helpless
comrade. The Lady Alice had not travelled
far when she came to cataract and was
nearly drawn into whirlpool. The great
strain of buffeting rough waters loosened
the fastenings of the recent patch, and the
barge nearly filled with water.
By desperate rowing she was beached,
and Stanley sent a runner back to order the
canoe. While the time was passing STAN
ley entered into talk with the savages
who lived on the river banks and was max
ing favorable terms with them when he
spied through his fieldglass a dark object
tumb bling about in the fierce waters of the
| rapids. 1t was canoe, with several dark
| skinned forms clinging to it's sides. The
upturned canoe finally drifted into basin,
and the crew, after vain attempts to right
her, swan toward shore, where Stanley's
runners met them with lifelines. The de-
serted craft swept on past Stanley's out
look and was lost in the foaming rapids.
! In few minutes runner from the beach
where the crew landed came flying along
the bluffs to tell Stanley the terrible news.
Eleven souls had embarked in the canoe,
and three were lost.
''Three are lost, and one of them is the
little masterl" cried the runner, white
with horror.
''The little masterr' shouted Stanley.
''Surely not the little master?"
Eyes, he is lost"
Frank Pocock was called the second or
little master to distinguish him from the
chief. It appeared that when the canoe
! was in the river with it's crew on board the
suffering man crawled to the brink and
first begged to be taken along and then
commanded the crew to receive him. When
the frail bark came to grief in the torrent,
he hadn't strength to help himself and was
carried into the rapids.
The men lost that day increased to
IA the number of victims to the torrents
of that violent river, which Stanley
soon afterward discovered by reaching
landmarks of explorers who had followed
the course from the sea upward to be the
Congo On making that discovery the
daring explorer abandoned the river bed
and crossed overland to the sea- The Lady
Alice, no longer seaworthy after her jour
ney Of 1000 miles in the African wilder
above Insougila cataract, veteran worn
out in that brief but stormy career from
/ March 8, 1875, to July 81, 1877.
GEORGE l.. KILMER.