The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1913-04-18

of the big geographers of that time.
There were those who recalled the
stories from the time of the Ptolomies
of the Fountains OF Hercules" the
source of the mysterious Nile; but
they were generally dismissed by the
assumption that if such lakes existed
the civilized world would have known
it long ago. And so the learned world
went cropping along in dense ignor-
ance regarding Africa. And then
Livingstone entered the Dark Con-
tinent for his last, long and great
journey; and after long wait Ben
nett of the New York Herald sent
Stanley in search of him; and when
he had been a long time gone, with no
word from him one of the competitors
of the Herald in New York printed a
long and laboriously argued article
regarding the long absence of Living
stone, and expressed the belief that
he had set up family establishment,
and had no intention of returning to
civilization; the writer evidently hav-
ing a pretty indistinct idea OF the
stuff of which Protestant missionaries
are made. But it was view directly
in accord with the conduct of many a
white man in those eastern lands, and
was just what certain European,
reputed scientific gentleman, who
was in the employ of the Egyptian
governmental the Sudan, did at a
later time, and when found by Stan
ley on his last journey refused to
come back to civilization.
That period between 1850 and 1880
tore off the mask Africa had SO long
worn. The story of Sir Samuel Ba-
ker's exploration of the upper Nile,
accompanied by his devoted and &C
compllshed wife, is most 'thrilling.
1t was he who discovered the cause
of the annual Nile flood, in the enor-
nous discharge of the Blue Nile,
which brings down from the noun
tains of Abyssinia the waters OF its
torrential rams; he tells his caravan
was camped on the sands of the dry
river bottom of that Blue Nile not fai
above where it empties into the White
Nile; that river bottom was several
miles wide; in the night suddenly his
animals began to be FESTIVE, the ma
tives of his company nervous, and
his suspicious were at once aroused
to lead him to quickly break camp,
and start for the uplands, which were
not reached before the flood waters
and in lew hours the
whole of that wide stretch OF sand was
covered with mighty torrent OF
muddy water bearing enormous guam
titles OF dritt-woo0 on Its surface;
and this kept up for weeks; and here
was the simple explanation of the
annual Nile flood.
Bakers story of his last days on
the upper White Nile far to the south,
where 1t was almost Impossible to
force his small boat through the water
growth or vegetation, the Sun-Stroke
OF his wite, and how he at last aoan-
doned the boat and almost dragged
Mrs. Baker along, walking on the
rank growth upheld by Its strong
roots, till he reached dry land, anu
finally saving her life, Is most ex-
citing chapter of adventure and peru
Then he reached a lake wnicn he
Albert, tor the Prince Consort.
Passing through this he discovered
another larger one higher up. linen
he asked himself, is this the source
OF the great White Miller" lie nau
meantime heard that Spoke and Grant
had discovered great lake IN the In
terror, which they were not able to
explore, but could not see across 1t,
SO vast was it; but neither of these
lakes he had found could be that
great one of which he had heard;
then the question arose, were these
two connected with the larger one?
He had no means of knowing in which
direction to work for the. waters of
Spoke and Grant; exploration to the
Albert and the Albert Edward showed
no considerable inlet; in his disap-
pointment he turned towards Egypt
until he came to a tributary which
entered the main stream from the
southeast, and with little hope began
to explore it, soon reaching still an
other small lake which deepened his
disappointment, but when circling it
he found an inlet from the south, or
was it only bay, for there was no
perceptible current. But in all his
weakness from fever and disappoint-
ment he keut on; thought he detected
slight current, and a little later
thought he heard sound as the dull
roar of falling water; and now his
excitement so increased that he could
hardly bear the strain; was he after
all his searchings for great lake.
to now discover the solution of the
centuries old riddle of the source OF
the Nile? Very soon there was no
doubt, for the current grew stronger
and the sounds louder, and another
turn in the stream and there were the
falls! The outlet OF "The great Ny.
anza," the great lake of Spoke and
Grant, and he forever settled the ques.
ton of the source of the mysterious
Nile; the Blue Nile brought from the
mountains of Abyssinia the FLOOD Of
waters" for the annual inundation
carrying the fertilizing soils in its
strong current; and now he had traced
the source of the White Nile to and
through the smaller lake to the grea,
Victoria Nyanza, whose great upland