The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-10-29
OIuck and
Il Adventure
EXPLORING THE NIGER.

EXPLORING THE NIGER.
In connection with certain French
military manoeuvers in the Sudan the
question was raised not long ago OF
the practicability of revictualing an
army in the region south of the Sa-
hara by means of the Niger. Theo-
rists disagreed. Lieutenant Hourst,
who had come down the river, said it
could not be done. Captain Toutee,
who had gone up, said it could. There
was but one way to settle the dispute.
Captain Lenfant was ordered to take
10000 boxes Of provisions and 2O00
of equipment, proceed to the mouth
of the Niger, load the material into
bateaux, deliver seventy tons of sup
plies on the bank at Name, whence it
would be borne overland to Colonel
Peroz at Lake Tchad, and with the re-
mainder to revictual all posts along
the river from Say to Asongo, the lat
ter about 1000 miles up and above the
last important rapid.
For this tremendous task Captain
Lenfant was assigned two lieutenants
and three non-commissioned officers
and about forty negroes, but was able
to hire natives at necessary points en-
route. He was required to fortify a
base of operations at Arenberg.
What the intrepid soldier under
took when, with twenty bateauX, he
began the ascent of the river, can
best be understood when one realizes
that the Niger for 1000 miles falls
over rapid after rapid. It's waters are
torn to seas of foam by innumerable
rocks, and the channel is often lost
among dividing islands. Many of
these rapids are in deep gorges, and
in some of them the river falls 100
times as rapidly as the Mississippi in
its usual flow.
Starting up stream at low water,
when the rapids are at their worst,
Captain Lenfant urged his boats for
ward with oars and sails and setting
poles. Guided by negroes who proved
themselves trustworthy, competent,
and at times even heroic, and aided
by numbers of friendly blacks pulling
on long tow-lines, he conquered the
obstacles without an accident. All
the way up he sounded, charted and
photographed the dangerous places,
and made a report which would ena-
BILE an army to follow where he had
gone.
At Arenberg he divided his stores,
and having assigned his white aids
their tasks, went on against the rising
flood to Name, put the seventy tons
ashore, and then, with his chart to
guide him, shot the rapids, down
stream to his base. At the falls of
Patassi, where his colored guide, Lam
cine, took the boats through in turn,
they were carried 1900 feet in three
minutes and twenty seconds, and ac-
complished in a few hours what had
taken a month in ascending.
On the second trip Captain Len
fant was seriously ill, but although
there was a hospital only few hours
down stream, and the nearest up
stream doctor was sixty days ahead,
he fought off the fever and accom-
plished his mission.
On his route and in canoe trip on
the upper river he collected mass of
valuable information, charting the
floods and examining soils and crops.
He visited cities that were populous
three centuries ago, and are just re-
covering from the prostration which
followed when the slave trade swept
away their people. He found them
Say, Gao-Gao and many others-eager
for commerce with the outside world.
ASTONISHED THE INDIANS.
1t is small wonder that the first
view of a white man created terror
among the supeTstitious Indians. A
striking instance of this occurred
when the Wallawalla Indians first
saw Captain Clark, OF the Lewis and
Clark expedition Thinking to pro-
pitiate the savages and allay their
fears of the white men, he planned to
visit a village of Wallawallas before
the arrival Of the rest of mis- party.
With this end in view re set out to
cross the Columbia River in canoe,
taking three men with him. On the
way he shot crane and duck, both
of which fell near him. He landed
before five wigwams placed close to
each other, but not person was visi-
BILE, and the doors, which were Of mat,
were closed. Holding his pipe in
hand, as an indication of good will.
he pushed aside one of the doors and
entered the lodge.
Inside were thirty men, women and
children, huddled together in terror.
He went to them, shook each by the
hand and said some friendly words,
expressing by word and manner his
kindly feeling. Their apprehensions
were allayed until he took out his
burning glass and lighted his pipe by
the rays of the sun. CONSERVATION
again prevailed, and what might have
occurred but for the timely arrival of
two chiefs who knew the white men
cannot be told.
1t seems that the Indians had not
seen Captain Clark, but they had seen
the white crane which he had shot
fall just before his appearance. They
had also seen the duck fall at his
shot. They connected the fall of the
birds. with his advent, and thought
that he had fallen from the clouds.
The sound of the rifle, which they
had never before heard, they believed
was a signal to announce the white
mans coming. Small wonder, then,
that their hardly allayed fears were
again aroused when he brought down
fire from heaven by means of his
burning glass.
SWORDFISH WAS GAME.
Lively events were recounted at T