The times., 1900-12-26

| ing over to Brazzaville, the chief town In
| the French Congo, he saw the hulk of Al
old steamer lying in the reeds. All the
| white persons at the station were very
| busy preparing transportation to carry up
the river the large expedition Of Major
| Msrohand. who was expected to arrive be-
| fore very long. This was the expedition
that later made itself famous by crossing
| from the Congo basin to the Nile and
| seizing the territory of Fashoda in the
name of France. II would be tight squeez-
ing TO get steamers enough for Mar
chands enterprise. and the French en-
gineers on the ground all declared that it
would be hopeless to attempt to make the
| old hulk in the reeds serviceable.
Cherry wandered down TO the old vessel
and carefully looked her over. Then he
went back to the commander of the sta
tion and told him he was very sure he
could repair the boat and make her fit TO
haul a large load of Marchand's equip
ment up the Congo and the Mobangi. His
proffer aroused little interest at first. but
he talked so earnestly about it, and his
ideas finally seemed to the Frenchmen to
be so practicable that he was Instructed
TO go ahead and see what he could do.
He secured a contract for his services
for q year and went to work.
In four months he had the vessel tied
10 the waterllne with freight. Then he
accompanied the Marchand expedition hun
dreds of miles up the Congo, the Mobangi,
and other rivers as one OF the machinists.
But that was not what he had returned to
Africa to do. He decided to quit the
French service as soon as his year was up.
He had been able 10 accumulate a eonsid-
cradle quantity of ivory. and as soon as
he was relieved from further duty he re-
succeeded in prevailing upon the Congo
State authorities to release his guns and
munitions.
Now began his three years of life among
the natives toward the Nile on the Mbomu
and other rivers north of the Mobangl;
( for he had found there a splendid ele-
phant country and so he decided to live
in the very heart of the Continent instead
of going back toward the west coast and
ascending the Sanga. When he returned
to the region he had chosen he was in a
country and among peoples who were very
little known and during his three years
there he pushed far north to above Z de-
grees north latitude. into large district
that no white men had visited. He had
with him a theodolite and ne surveyed
this region, and has brought home map
of it. together with a great deal OF in
formation about its inhabitants.
1t was early in 1881 that Cherry was
alone at last. as far as white companion
ship was concerned, In the eastern part
of the French Congo. In the years that
followed he was very seldom nearer than
fifty miles to French station. In fact,
he thought 1t healihful to keep away from
the stations. The French were not pre-
possessed with the idea OF having this
young man from America wandering about
their domain. He applied TO them for
concession of an island on which he might
keep his young elephants.
NO, they said to him. You are like,
ly to make us trouble in this country
Who ever heard of white man living
alone among all these savages? OF
course. you'll be killed some day, and then
your Government will ask for an explana-
tlon and We will be to no end of bother
and correspondence. You will oblige us
very much if you will get out of the coun-
try"
The bark of the French in Africa is a
good deal wo Sc than their bite. That is
TO say, they issue stringent orders, but
they may be evaded without much diff
ficulty. They do not travel withou. COM
Portable beds and a good culinary depart
ment: SO that a man whose stomach does
not disdain dish of manioc porri;ige and
who can sleep sOundly on the ground in
the rain has great advantage as q trav-
eler and can dance all around the French
Transportation Department. Cherry pad
died his own canoe in the French Con-
go. and as he did not bother the white
men at the stations, they let him alone
to be killed by cannibals, as they had the
most perfect and unruftied confidence
would be the case