Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-02-25


q he has never seen sponges Of 50 peculiar
a texture as those secured from the bed
/ of the African lake. He believes If Eng
| lish capital could only be interested, that
! not only could a colossal fortune be Sc
cured by means Of the sponge fishery, but
that there is ample opportunity for equal
| gains through the natural resources al
| forded by the lake and its enyirons.
1t must not be imagined that this new
| explorer whose stories of what he has
| seen and learned have excited almost as
] great interest as the news that Stanley
| told us years ago, saw nothing but fishes
| and opportunities for investment His eX-
periences were often perilous in the eX-
! IRENE, end he witnessed several scenes
which would strike terror 10 the hearts
Of most individuals, although lacking en-
tirely the element Of personal danger
that is so far as the scenes themselves
/ were concerned.
a DESPERATE FIGHT.
One instance in particular impressed
itself upon the mind Of Mr.. Moore IL
was a desperate fight between a crocodile
and a leopard. each specimen being of UNI
usual size. The latter had gone down TO
Lake Tanganyika to drink, and the croco-
die had quietly crept unnoticed TO a posi-
ton almost beside IT. Suddenly the leo
pard spied his enemy and turned TO take
a leap which would place him out OF dam
ger The crocodile was too quick for him.
and then ensued a contest that Mr. Moore
saws no man can adequately describe.
/ In less time than Il takes 10 utter the
! necessary words Of description, the
leopard's left hind-quarter was fast In
the NAV Of the ferocious saurlan. Twist
ing its 1.-the body and uttering frightful
cries. the leopard struck at his assailant
again and again. striving 10 claw the
eyes knowing these to be the only vul-
nerable point OF the enemy that seemed
TO be the emissary Of death TO him. The
animals struggles were unavailing, so far
as scratching the eyes were concerned.
Slowly the hideous reptile dragged his
victim toward the waters OF the lake.
The cries OF the leopard, Mr.. Moore
states. were frghtful. 1t was like a
combination Of a call for help and death
scream.
The contest went on for more than
an hour At first the crocodile would drag
the leopard toward the water. and then
the leopard, with frightful energy, would
give a spring that would force his enemy
several feet away from the edge of the
lake Meanwhile the crocodile was
steadily crunchng the leg Of the leopard,
which he held in his jaw At last, how
ever. the crocodile gave the leg a ire
mendous bite and severed II entirely from
the leopard's body. Screaming with
agony and terror the manned victim of
the crocodile's feroclty managed TO drag
/ himself into the adjoining underground,
/ while the crocodile, apparently not a
whit the worse for the encounter, slowly
crawled TO Tanganyika's borders, ana
| disappeared I'm its waters.
Perhaps. no experience Of Mr. Moore's
will remain more vivid in his memory
than his Journey through the miasmatlc
forest. through a country teeming with
poisonous snakes and savage animals,
where pure water was difficult TO secure,
and where danger lurked on every side,
to the eminence from which he looked
! unon the shores OF Lake Rukwa- This
| is a tourney which the hardest European
! long hesitates before taking. The creep
ers and underground that clog the sur
face of the ground along the route IT Is
necessary 10 follow conceal the bones Of
more than one daring European who has
sought to win for himself the fame which
will attach TO the white man who hrst
EXPLORES the unknown shores Of Rukwa.
and Journeys the length and breadth Of
its surface.
Only two white men have ever even
reached the shore Of this lake OF death.
DR. Cross forced a path through the
swamp and reeds. that reek with fever
and kindred Ills near the southern end
of the lake. in 1883. Two years ago
Mutt. the explorer, managed TO gain the
shore on the southwestern side. That
was all they did. Both were so worn
with fever and reduced by starvation that
the perils of the lake tempted them not.
even though fame lay within their grasp.
There is. Mr. Moore says, nothing like
a long tourney through the perilous Afri-
can forest TO force the fact upon the
mind OF the traveller that life and civil
lizotion are sometimes more precious
than fame. The Journey around or upon
lake Rukwa he says. would be almost
certain sacrifice of the former, and ne
cessarily put an end to all hope of return
ing 10 the latter.
The members OF the Royal Geographi-
cal society are not saying a great deal
ohout Mr. Moore's journey and its re-
srIts For some unknown reason, they
saan, inclined 10 be reticent In the mat
,er Of details IL is known. however.
,hat this Is not. even In remote degree.
due TO any failure on the part OF the