The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-13
IN DARKEsT AFRICA.
an Explorers Strange Adventures, as
Told by Himself.

Mr.. Poulett weatherley. the explor-
er. has just returned to London after
having been away from civilization for
eleven years. For eleven years he has
buried in the heart of Central Africa
the only white man amid hosts of
In that long period he has had
many remarkable and thrilling adj
ventures, both with savage men and
Wlld beasts. So many were they. in
! place of his life. He grew to take no
/ heed of them, and now his many
friends are having the utmost difficulty
IN pefsuading him to write the book
| they are all so anxious to read.
AS the result of his long stay in dis
trlcts hitherto practically unknown to
CIVILIZATION. Mr.. Weatherley has sue
| ceeded In largely correcting the map
- u She INFERIOR OF the Dark Continent
ana adding to our knowledge of the
races He also discovered the spot
where the heart of the great Living
stone was buried. the exact locality of
Whlch mad been lost, and he was in
strumental in raising a permanent
memorial in place of the decayed tree
which had marked the site, and in OBJ
tanning pathetic memento of the
famous missionary for the British
museum in the shape of that part of
the old tree which bore the original
Inscription cut by the natives who
loved and mourned their white chief.
sentative of the Daily News, Mr..
Weatherley gave a brief outline of
ms exploits. I went out" said Mr..
Weatherley, Sin the first week of Jan
uary, 1894 It was nv second trip.
My first was hardly a success. That
was in 1892 and 'S3, and for eighteen
months I was i'll.
My object in going was to circuna-
navigate the great Bangweulu Lake,
and to find the spot where Living
stones heart was buried. No one had
ever been round the lake. Giraud, the
French explorer, had tried to get round
but hostile natives captured him and
prevented him. Glave, the American,
who died while attempting to find the
Livingstone Tree, was the last man
who had any sort of accurate notion
where the tree was Both tasks prom
ised interesting work. But, after all
their accomplishment proved so simple
really, that 1t is too bad to expect me
to write book about it. All can saw
is that I am back Just for a change to
look upon really civilized white men
once more; and that, though I left a
place where the temperature was $50
degrees in the shade and found the
temperature here when arrived about
degrees IN the sun, I am in the best
of health; and that since left Africa
L have put on nearly fourteen pounds
in weight, which confirms me in my
conviction that civilized folk eat too
much.
Lake Bangweulu is one of the most
beautiful spots on earth. 1t is an ar
lists dream of color in real life
doubt if there is any place where more
gorgeous and delightful color effects
can be seen. The meaning of its native
name is There where the sky and wa
ter meet Speaking roughly. the di-
ameter of the lake, which is nearly cir !
cuIar, is about forty miles, so that from
almost anywhere the water forms the |
horizon, and there is a wonderful quiv-
ering haze which melts the line into
Iii ff1n
a perfectly accurate one.
Nearly all round the lake is the |
vast Mwero Marsh, which began by al /
most killing me. got fever again. and |
when I went up into the plateau, about |
900 feet in elevation, I nearly died
But my people stuck around me nobly.
'.'Qne of my greatest friends was Me-
wenge, the chief of the Southern Va
USi. But it was some time before Me-
wenge and I got to understand one an
other. He had never seen white men,
but had heard of them, and when I
sent up word that was coming to visit
him he grew alarmed, and so made
himself very drunk When I went to
his tent he rushed out, and, Selling me
by the arm, SlaShed his axe over my
head into a tree behind me. For the
moment I fancied my life had come to
an end I was, in fact. surprised to
find that the top of my head was still
where I usually prefer 1t. But natives
are very loath to kill a white man
curious. as they all are You must re-
member that to him a white man was
4 far greater curiosity than a China
man with his pigtail is in the streets
Of London. The next moment he was
pulling up my shirt sleeve to see if my
arm was white. That gave me time to
tell him that if he wanted to kill me
he might but that it would be more
not to.
after that Mewenge and ex-
changed visits in royal fashion. To do
him due courtesy, as I thought, I sent
him back IN my chaila, the thing we
are carried in. But when his people
saw him they exclaimed that he looked
lead. The Va Usi carry their dead in
hat way. Mewenge took on an awful
Tread. He fancies it was a. trick I had
played upon him to bewitch him and
so cause his death. The tribe flew to
arms at once, and I had no end OF
-rouble. I had 400 men and ten sport
ng rifles, and, because they had seen
low those rifles would kill, my men
wanted me to begin war.
81 struck the lake on the southwest,
near Kasoma's bona, as the natives
Village is called Everybody had told
ne that the Vena Kavende would GER
ainly make war on me. I sent word
hen set out by boat with nine of my
men, Between ourselves I had intend
ID taking my ten rifles, and when we
reared the bona, and 1000 armed men
-ushed down to the edge of the lake,
We found that we had left the rifles
behind. I knew that to turn back then
would end everything. With my heart
n my mouth I jumped ashore alene
was in a dead funk. but as I stood
,efore the chief I could see his heart
hrobbing on his naked chest, and
Knew he was in as bad a way as my
elf. Good morning, how do you do?'
shouted. The chief gave a signal. !
nd put my hands in my pockets to I
meet the end calmly. The same mo-
nent the chief and every man of the
600 knelt down, bowed their heads.
nd clapped their hands in unison.
1 4 Ill LIZ l.. ]