THE RELIEF-EXPEDITION.
Attempted expeditions of Dr. Fischer and Dr. Lenz--Geographical
Society of Edinburgh--Routes to Wadelai from the east--The Congo
route--Formation of relief-committee in London--Arrival of
Stanley in Europe--Congo flotilla placed at his disposal by King
of the Belgians--European members of expedition--Departure from
London--Stanley at Cairo--Tippoo Tib accompanies Stanley--The
“Madura”--Start from Zanzibar.
Three years had passed without any direct communication with the
Europeans blockaded in the southern Soudan.
It was in 1882 that letters had been brought from Lupton and Junker to
Meshra-er-Rek, and thence conveyed to Khartoom by the “Ismailia,” the
last steamer that made the passage of the Upper Nile. Amongst those on
board on this occasion was Junker’s assistant, the naturalist, Frederic
Bohndorf, who was fortunate in getting safely to Egypt.
Vague rumours from time to time reached Zanzibar, carried by the ivory
traders, that some white men with troops were in the vicinity of Lake
Albert; and then came the more definite tidings that Junker and Casati
were safe at Lado, and at no great distance from Emin Bey. Whereupon,
Dr. Junker’s brother wrote from St. Petersburg to M. Rohlfs, the German
consul at Zanzibar, to ascertain the possibility of despatching an
expedition of relief. He was told that if the necessary funds were
forthcoming such an undertaking was quite practicable, and that Dr.
Fischer, who had for seven years been physician-extraordinary to
the Sultan Saïd-Bargash, and was an experienced traveller, would be
prepared to take it in charge.
The offer was accepted; and in August, Dr. Fischer, at the head of a
large caravan, took his departure from the coast.
Simultaneously with this, another expedition was being organised on the
Lower Congo, which was to be under the command of Dr. Oscar Lenz, an
Austrian, who was well known as an African traveller. It was settled
that he should endeavour to reach Wadelai by way of the Upper Congo.
Both these expeditions were failures. Dr. Fischer found it impossible
for any advance to be made beyond Lake Victoria; and Dr. Lenz, having
been conveyed as far as the Victoria Falls by a steamer belonging to
the Congo State, was unable to collect a caravan that would venture
into the unknown lands to the north-east: he was obliged, therefore,
to continue his journey to the south, proceeding by Nyangwe and Lake
Tanganyika.
Meanwhile a letter was received from Mr. Mackay, the English missionary
in Uganda, stating that he had heard that Dr. Junker, after many
difficulties, had arrived in the Unyoro country, and was only awaiting
his opportunity to pass through Mwanga’s territory and proceed
homewards.
Another year of suspense followed, during which great anxiety
prevailed; but at length tidings came from Zanzibar announcing that,
safe and sound, Junker had made his way to the mission-station at
Msalala. Great was the feeling of relief; and the general sympathy was
stirred afresh when, a month later, letters were received from the
traveller himself.
The civilised world was not indifferent to the appeal now made on
behalf of the remaining prisoners of the Soudan. A general movement was
felt. Dr. Schweinfurth took the lead in Egypt; Dr. Felkin, formerly
medical officer to the Uganda mission, agitated the cause in England;
in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium the public press and the
scientific journals alike called attention to the critical situation of
the surviving representatives of Europe in the district of the Upper
Nile.
To the Geographical Society of Edinburgh belongs the honour of taking
the initiative in reducing sympathy to practice. At a meeting, held on
the 23rd of November 1886, the following resolutions were proposed and
unanimously adopted:--
“That in consideration of his many services during twelve years in
Central Africa, rendered not only to geography, but to science in
general, and in recognition of his own personal endurance and of the
assistance he has uniformly given to explorers, the Council of this
Society deems that Emin Bey well deserves the support of the British
Government.
“That the Council does not advocate any military expedition being sent
to his relief, but believes that one of a pacific character might most
advantageously be undertaken by the British Government.
“That it seems certain, in the judgment of the Council, that an
expedition of this nature, traversing regions hitherto unexplored,
would contribute materially to a further geographical knowledge of the
interior of Africa.”
A copy of these resolutions was forwarded to London, to Lord
Iddesleigh, then Foreign Secretary.
Henceforth, the voice of the public did not let the matter rest. The
question was no longer whether an expedition should be sent, but what
route the expedition should take.
Three routes, all starting from Zanzibar, were suggested.
First of all, there was that proposed by Mr. Joseph Thomson, the
Scotch explorer, who offered his own services as conductor. This route
followed the direction which he had himself taken when he had gone to
the Masai country; on that occasion he had started from Mombasa on
the coast, and passed through Taveta, Ngongo and Njemps, reaching the
eastern shore of Lake Victoria near Ukala. The journey had occupied
nine months. He now anticipated that he could accomplish it in three
months, or perhaps four, apparently forgetting how he had himself been
unable to make any advance, and ignoring the fact that Dr. Fischer,
still more recently, had been foiled in his efforts to penetrate into
the countries populated by warlike and hostile tribes.
A second scheme was advocated by Dr. Felkin. Anxious to keep clear of
all complications with the relentless King of Uganda, he recommended
that a long detour beyond Lake Victoria should be made in the Mutaa
Nzigé basin. It was a route that would necessitate the passage of the
caravan through regions absolutely unknown, and would bring it into
contact with a dense population that had obstructed Stanley’s progress
in 1877. It was not only very long but very hazardous, and the voice of
prudence might well ask whether it was desirable to risk so much where
all was so uncertain.
Then, thirdly, there arose involuntarily the thought of Stanley. Was
not he the right, if not the only man, for such an undertaking? The
traveller, undaunted and renowned, who had found Livingstone in 1870,
who had crossed Africa from shore to shore, and discovered the Congo
in 1878, who had formed the independent state upon the Congo banks in
1884, was not this the leader whose services they should seek? Were not
his experience, his energy, his reputation amongst the native tribes
the surest guarantees upon which to rely?
Meanwhile it had transpired that Stanley himself was ready to
co-operate with the organising committee; he would even undertake the
conduct of an expedition. The route he would recommend would be that
which he had taken in 1876; the journey from Zanzibar to Lake Victoria
was known, by frequent repetition, to be practicable; beyond the Lake
he would run the risk of dealing with Mwanga: he would endeavour to
enter into negotiations with him; he was sanguine that he could induce
him to renew his amicable relations with the white man, and thus having
overcome the obstacles, and having obtained permission to pass through
Uganda, he should go to Unyoro and Lake Albert, and thence proceed to
Wadelaï by water.
Of the three routes thus suggested, the last seemed to have most
to commend it to approval. It was certainly the best known and the
most direct; yet it was not to be overlooked that it had the decided
disadvantage of having to be accomplished almost entirely on foot.
Supposing the expedition to consist of 1000 men, how many, it must be
asked, would hold out, even so far as Lake Victoria? Before arriving
at the place of embarkation they would have to tramp more than 700
miles, under a burning equatorial sun, every one carrying a burden of
over seventy pounds. How many would desert? how many would succumb to
fatigue, and die? how many would be struck down with fever, and become
an encumbrance to the rest?
Arrived at the Lake, it had further to be considered whether it were
by any means certain that boats enough could be secured to convey the
hundreds of men, with all the baggage, across.
But the Lake, after all, was only half way, and it was _beyond_
the Lake that the chief difficulties were to be apprehended. Who could
foretell what dangers would be awaiting the caravan in Uganda? At the
first symptom of hostility the porters would be seized with panic; and
what was to hinder them from deserting _en masse_? The way from
Zanzibar by which they had come would be open, and what could prevent
them from making their way back if they chose?
All these considerations had to be weighed.
It was while the matter was under debate, that the writer of the
present volume published an article in “Le Mouvement Géographique”
of December 6, in which he proposed the route by way of the Congo and
Aruwimi.
The substance of the article was to the following effect:--“Is there no
other route besides those which have been already proposed? Why not the
Congo? Not the Congo with its wide deviation to the south, by Nyangwé,
as followed by Dr. Lenz; but _the Congo as far as and along the
course of the Aruwimi_.
“From Banana to Matadi the passage by steamer takes only thirteen
hours. The journey on foot to Leopoldville would require from fifteen
to twenty days. Recently the steamer “Stanley” has occupied only
twenty-seven days in ascending the Congo from Stanley Pool to the
Aruwimi, and when Stanley was exploring the river he got up to Yambuya
in two days more.
“Supposing then that the proper appliances and that the necessary
porters can be secured, and that no unforeseen hindrances shall
arise to prevent a continuous advance, it may be reckoned that in
thirty-five to forty days, or, to take the utmost limit, in two months,
an expedition might well accomplish the distance between Banana and
Yambuya, which is just below the Aruwimi Falls. It would, moreover,
involve no excessive exertion, as so large a proportion of the journey
would be by water.
“True indeed it is that this point lies on the threshold of the
unknown; yet, after all, this ‘unknown’ may be held to be less
alarming than the districts of Unyoro and Uganda, which are only too
‘well known.’ Upon the Aruwimi both Stanley and Grenfell fell in with
peaceable tribes, and what merits consideration is, that the unexplored
tract only extends to Sanga, at a distance of little over 130 miles.
Sanga itself is the residence of a Monbuttoo chief who gave Junker a
hospitable reception; while the district to the east has been explored,
not only by him, but likewise by Casati, and in some degree by Emin
Bey. All these three would no doubt be remembered by the inhabitants,
whose intentions may still be reckoned to be friendly, so that in all
probability the caravan would be well received, and readily supplied
both with provisions and guides.
“As to the question of time, it seems to us hardly to admit a doubt
that Wadelaï would be much more quickly reached by the Congo and
Aruwimi than by any other route from the east coast. In short, it may
be maintained that by the way which is here proposed, it would be
possible to arrive at the quarters of Emin Bey _in five months_.”
It had especially to be taken into account how comparatively easy the
advance would be made by the fact of 900 miles on the upper river being
by water. It was likewise an ascertained fact that food was abundant
in the district, and these two facts combined demonstrated that the
caravan would enter the unknown region with the men in robust health,
not worn out by any previous fatigue; whilst at the same time they
would have no way open by which they could be tempted to desert.
In England at first the opposition to the Congo route was very great.
Every one seemed to have a preference for the eastern, or what was
called “the Zanzibar route.” The matter remained undecided--the
Government took no step--but meanwhile private enterprise was on the
alert, and active measures were being pushed forward. The wealthy
Scotch philanthropist, Mr. Mackinnon, director of the British India
Steam Navigation Company, was made chairman of the organising
committee, and with his usual munificence, subscribed £10,000 towards
an expedition. Sir Francis de Winton, formerly administrator-general of
the Congo State, took the office of secretary; the Egyptian Government
pledged itself to give financial support; the King of the Belgians gave
the committee the warmest assurances of his sympathy, and placed at
its disposal, if the Congo route should be adopted, a portion of the
Upper Congo flotilla; and to crown the whole, Stanley volunteered his
personal services, which of course were immediately accepted.
At that time Stanley was in America. Ever indefatigable in his vocation
of advancing the cause of Africa, he was holding a series of meetings
in the large towns of the United States, but he was no sooner apprised
of the formation of the relief-expedition than he hurried back to
London, where he arrived on the 27th of December, and from whence he
proceeded on the 30th to Brussels.
Matters now advanced apace; decisions were promptly made and orders
were definitely given. Communications passed rapidly between London,
Brussels, Cairo, Zanzibar and the Congo. Egypt was requested to
furnish a company of Soudanese soldiers, and Sir John Kirk, the British
Consul at Zanzibar, was instructed to engage several hundred soldiers
and porters. The Congo route had been deliberately and finally chosen.
Mr. Mackinnon sent orders to Bombay that one of his company’s steamers
should be at Zanzibar in readiness to convey the expedition to the
mouth of the Congo; and Stanley lost no time in making up his staff of
European coadjutors, returning once more to Brussels to take his leave
of King Leopold.
On the 20th of January 1887, the main body of the staff left London
by the _Navarino_; it consisted of Major Barttelot of the 7th
Fusileers, one of the bravest officers in the Soudan campaign; Captain
Stairs of the Royal Artillery; Captain Nelson of the Volunteers;
Lieutenant Jephson; Surgeon-Major Parke; Mr. Jameson the naturalist;
Mr. Bonney and Mr. Ward. They carried with them a large cargo of
provisions and a complete supply of ammunition, one of the specialities
being a mitrailleuse worked on a novel plan, designed by Maxim the
engineer, a murderous weapon capable of firing six hundred shots a
minute, and which might prove an effective means of defence if any
hostile attack were made upon them. Lastly, there was a steel-plated
whale-boat to be navigated by either oars or sails, made in twelve
sections, so as to admit of being carried by hand, and designed to
facilitate the river passage and ultimately to be launched upon Lake
Albert.
In addition to the eight members of the staff who started for Zanzibar
there were two others, Mr. Ingham, and Mr. Troup, a former agent of the
Free State, who embarked at Liverpool direct for the Congo, and were
commissioned to engage 1500 natives to act as porters in transporting
all the baggage along the line of the falls, from Matadi to Stanley
Pool.
Stanley himself left London for Egypt _viâ_ Brindisi, on the 21st.
By this route he gained several days’ advance upon the _Navarino_,
and spent the interval in Cairo, in consultation with Dr. Schweinfurth
and Dr. Junker, who had arrived there a fortnight previously.
It has been asserted that at this date there was an entire lack of
agreement between the three travellers about the proper route to be
taken; it has moreover been stated that the Egyptian Government so
far adopted Dr. Junker’s views, that the Zanzibar route ought to be
followed, as to threaten to withdraw its support in case any other
route were chosen. Such representations are by no means fair. It is
true that at first Dr. Schweinfurth expressed some degree of preference
for the Zanzibar route, but very soon, like Dr. Junker, he acceded to
the choice of the Congo route; while as to the Egyptian Government
there was not the least foundation for what was said; it gave its
financial support to the undertaking entirely unconditionally, and
engaged, moreover, to provide the Soudanese soldiers for which it was
asked.
On the 6th of February, Stanley left Cairo for Suez, and on the 22nd
he reached Zanzibar, where he learned that the steamer _Madura_,
which was to convey him to the mouth of the Congo, had arrived the day
before.
An incident occurred during his brief stay at Zanzibar, which, when
known in Europe, created no slight sensation. This was the engagement
of Tippoo Tib as an agent of the Congo Free State.
Tippoo Tib is the wealthy Arab trader whom Livingstone and Cameron
found settled at Nyangwé on the Lualaba, and who some years later
accompanied Stanley through part of his descent of the Congo. Dr. Lenz
and Lieutenant Gleerup during their travels visited his depôts on the
Lualaba and the Manyema; the Belgian Lieutenant Becker and the Swedish
Lieutenant Webster both transacted business with him, and Dr. Junker,
as has been mentioned, completed his journey from Tabora to Zanzibar
under his escort. Every one of these travellers gives uniform high
praise to his intelligence, his trustworthiness, and the courtesy of
his manners.
His real name is Hamed-ben-Mohammed, Tippoo Tib being a nickname given
him on account of a peculiar movement of his eyes.
Lieutenant Becker has written the following description of him: “The
son of a Zanzibar Arab and a Mrima woman, Tippoo Tib has resided
for ten years in the Manyema district, where he enjoys an unbounded
popularity, not only in his own, but in the adjoining districts, where
he is known as a man who would heartily disapprove of any unneighbourly
acts.
[Illustration: TIPPOO TIB.
(_From a Drawing by M. Louis Amelot._)]
“From his immense plantations, cultivated by thousands of slaves, all
blindly devoted to their master, and from his ivory-trade, of which
he has the monopoly, he has in his duplex character of conqueror
and trader, succeeded in creating for himself in the heart of Africa
a veritable empire, in which, though he is nominally a vassal of the
Sultan Saïd-Bargash, his authority is supreme.
“Though not of pure Arab blood, the Arab characteristic seems so
far predominant in him as to dispose him instinctively to the
exercise of patriarchal virtues. His self-command, his indomitable
courage, his capacity for business, his far-sightedness, his rapid
power of decision, his unfailing success, and a certain chivalrous
attractiveness of manner, combine to make him, like Mirambo, a kind of
hero, celebrated by all the rhapsodists of Oriental Africa.”
Apparently Tippoo Tib is about forty-five years of age; he has short
grisly hair and beard; he converses with much vivacity, his utterance
being concise, energetic, and decisive. Only let the subject of ivory
be introduced, and at once he is animated, and his eyes gleam with
excitement; he becomes like one of the old Californian gold-diggers,
who glowed with ecstasy when they told of their work, their findings,
and their hopes. Ivory, in fact, may be said to be his absorbing
thought. To this he owes all his wealth, and consequently his power,
which, according to Wissman, who is acquainted with his territory,
is much greater than is generally known. Owner as he is of numerous
caravans of armed slaves, which he places under the command of his
subordinates, he has cultivated large tracts of country, and in the
course of time has established several very important agricultural
settlements. It has been insinuated in certain quarters that his vast
riches have not all been accumulated from irreproachable sources,
and that a full statement of his mercantile transactions would show
a somewhat intimate connection between ivory-dealing and the slave
traffic.
Be this, however, as it may, he is held in high repute by the natives,
by travellers, and by the Europeans on the coast, and this reputation
has been acquired by his extraordinary administrative faculty, by his
prominent position amongst his fellow-traders and co-religionists, by
his hospitality, and most of all, by his steadfastness to his word.
Already an important character in eastern and central Africa, recent
events have made him a historical personage.
In January 1885, when Captain Van Gèle, as agent of the Congo
Association, arrived at Stanley Falls, he found that Tippoo Tib was
established in the neighbourhood. He made a point of seeing him, and
received from him the most satisfactory assurances of his peaceful
intentions towards the white settlers, and his great desire to enter
into amicable relations with them. It turned out, however, that
eighteen months afterwards, the station, which was guarded only by a
couple of Europeans and a few black soldiers, was attacked by Arabs,
and deserted by its little garrison. It was true that the affair had
taken place while Tippoo Tib was absent, and as subsequent inquiries
showed, it was to be attributed, not so much to any positive hostility
on the part of the Arabs, as to the incapability of the controller of
the station, Mr. Deane, an Englishman. Yet it could not do otherwise
than create considerable uneasiness in the Congo State, which was only
then in process of formation.
And now, in 1887, having learned that both Tippoo Tib and Stanley
were at Zanzibar together, the Congo Government took advantage of the
circumstance to seek an explanation as to how it had come to pass that
the station at the Falls had been assailed. In reply to Stanley’s
inquiry, Tippoo Tib renewed his assurances of his recognition of the
Congo State, expressed his deep regret for what had happened, and
declared that the assault had been made both during his absence and
without his sanction.
The Congo Government had a further design. Considering that in a
country so hard of access for European troops, it would be good
policy to secure the aid of Arab hands towards suppressing raids and
checking the slave traffic, and, moreover, reckoning that it would be
for the interests of civilisation if a recognised system of trade and
agriculture could be established, they instructed Stanley to sound the
Arab merchant as to whether he would be disposed to take office in the
service of the Free State itself.
Accordingly, on the 23rd of February an interview took place, as the
result of which Tippoo Tib was definitely appointed Commissioner of the
district of the Falls. By the covenants of the agreement he undertook
to uphold the authority of the Free State along the upper river and
its affluents, both at the station and lower down at the confluence of
the Aruwimi, specified as the limit of his district; and to oppose the
native chiefs and Arab traders, restraining them in all their raids
and slave-traffic.
Criticism, keen and adverse, was awakened by the measure. Just as it
had been when Gordon proposed to enlist the co-operation of Zebehr
for the pacification of the Soudan, so now the idea of applying
to an Arab trader for assistance in suppressing the slave-trade
seemed unreasonable, if not preposterous. No doubt the circumstances
were perplexing. It is an experiment; but Tippoo Tib’s position is
exceptional. Unlooked-for results may follow. The future alone can
determine whether the policy is right or wrong. The compact with Tippoo
Tib has been based solely upon his high repute for fidelity, gained
amongst the most renowned and most discriminating of African explorers.
One thing which was immediately involved by this compact with Tippoo
Tib was his co-operation with the relief-expedition now about to
start. Accordingly it was arranged that he should accompany Stanley to
the west coast and up the Congo, as far as the Falls station, there
providing him with the 600 porters that would be required to bring the
ivory back from Wadelaï.
At this date Stanley wrote: “When I was in Cairo Dr. Junker told me
that Emin Bey has in his possession about seventy tons of ivory. At
eight shillings a pound this would be worth more than £60,000. Not
only would this cover all the expenses of our expedition, but would
make it a financial success. Why not bring the ivory to the Congo? It
would require nothing more than an adequate supply of porters; and this
consideration has determined me to negotiate with Tippoo Tib, who has
contracted to provide me with 600 men, at the rate of £6 each for a
journey from the Falls station to Lake Albert and back. As every porter
carries a load of 70 lbs. we may reckon that each journey would bring a
net value of £12,000 to the Falls.”
On his arrival at Zanzibar, Stanley found that everything had been
admirably arranged by Mr. Mackenzie, the agent of the British India
Steam Navigation Company, who had the co-operation of the English
Consul. Provisions and merchandise had been already embarked, and the
auxiliaries had been gathered together, so that Stanley had only at
once to go on board. During the time that Stanley was negotiating his
contract with Tippoo Tib, Mr. Mackenzie was paying four months’ wages
in advance to the 623 Zanzibaris who had been hired for the expedition;
they were paid in detachments of fifty at a time, and forthwith sent in
a barge to the _Madura_.
Thus far, including the nine Europeans, sixty-three Soudanese, and
fourteen Somalis, the expedition consisted of 709 men, who were divided
into seven companies; to these had now to be added Tippoo Tib with his
suite of ninety, comprising both sexes, making an aggregate of just 800.
The _Madura_ left Zanzibar on the 24th of February; on the 9th of
March she passed the Cape; and on the 18th cast anchor in Banana Creek,
at the mouth of the Congo.