TO ZANZIBAR.
Ankori and Karangwé--The land of fever--Frightful
mortality--Lake Windermere and Kafurro--Fresh geographical
discovery--Expansion of measurement of Lake Victoria--Arrival
at Msalala--First news from Europe--More fighting--Mpwapwa--A
harassed march--Arrival at Bagamoyo--Conclusion.
Alike from its picturesqueness and from the character of its population
the region between Lake Albert Edward and Lake Victoria is one of the
most interesting in Central Africa.
It consists of a series of wide plateaux ranging from 4000 feet to
5000 feet above the level of the sea, bounded by a chain of conical
peaks. This chain joins the Ruwenzori range on the north, and includes,
with the Kibanga, Ankori, Mpororo, and Ruanda districts, the watershed
of Lake Albert Edward on the west and Lake Victoria on the east. The
highest summits along the line are Mounts Gordon Bennett and Lawson
on the north, and the elevation of the Mfumbiro Mountains in the
centre, which all rise to a height of over 12,000 feet. To the west
of the chain are the plains of Ankori; to the south-east those of
Karangwé. In both these districts the people are agriculturists, and
uniformly hospitable. They are a handsome race, many of them having
regular well-defined features that would bear comparison with those of
Europeans.
The Ankori country is subject to keen and searching winds which are
extremely trying to health, and which proved very disastrous in
thinning the numbers of the expedition. Never all along had fever been
so prevalent; as many as 150 cases broke out in a single day, and even
seasoned veterans like Emin and Casati more than once were prostrated
by its effects. The negroes, no matter of what tribe, fell out of the
line of march, and laid themselves down by the wayside to “sleep off”
their painful languor, whilst the Egyptians, too, worn out by fatigue,
ulcers, and dysentery, would hide themselves in any recess and sink
down on the ground, where, unless they were picked up and carried on by
the rear-guard, they would be left amongst the natives, who (however
well-disposed they might be) could yet not understand a word of the
language they spoke.
So terrible were the ravages of the fever that in the month of July
alone the caravan lost no less than 141 of its followers.
On the 1st of August the expedition crossed the Kagera, a stream that
conveys to the Lake Victoria the waters of a cluster of minor lakes.
Four days later it reached Kafurro, at no great distance from the lake,
which is the smallest of all these, and which was named Lake Windermere
by Speke’s companion, Captain Grant, because of its fancied resemblance
to the English lake in Westmoreland.
Kafurro may be described as a well-known locality, an Arab settlement
having been established there for more than thirty years; Speke and
Grant having stayed at it for several days in 1861, and Stanley having
resided there for a whole month in 1877, all three of them being
hospitably entertained by Rumanika, the well-disposed sovereign of
Karangwé. Now again the caravan received a cordial welcome; the chiefs
were all courteous, and the supply of provisions abundant. The district
altogether is very fine; rich pastures on which large herds of cattle
graze alternate with swelling uplands, planted with magnificent trees,
or fruitful with luxuriant crops, and frequently crowned with thickets
of acacia. Rhinoceroses, both black and white, are numerous, and herds
of horned antelopes are not unfrequently to be seen.
And here, in passing onwards from Karangwé to the adjacent district of
Uzinja, Stanley made a remarkable discovery which was quite unexpected.
He was following the route which had been taken by Speke and Grant in
1861, and relying upon the indications of his map, he was entirely
under the impression that he was still a long distance away from the
south-west boundary of Lake Victoria; his surprise may be imagined when
on making a bend to the north-east in the direction of Msalala he saw,
immediately before him, the broad expanse of the Victoria Nyanza itself.
In all existing charts the Uzinja shore is marked as taking a
north-westerly direction. This presumptive coast-line, however,
would now seem to be a succession of mountainous islands lying so
closely one behind another, that Stanley himself, when he was making
his circumnavigation of the Lake in 1876, had been misled, and had
conjectured them to be the mainland. It was obvious now that such was
not the case, and, moreover, it was demonstrated that the Lake extends
far away beyond them to the south-west. This adjustment gives the Lake
an additional area of 6000 square miles.
And as the expedition now made its progress, fresh discoveries were
ever being made, even in quarters where Stanley himself did not suppose
that there was anything unknown to be revealed.
At length on the 28th of August, as the eye pierced through the foliage
of the banana-trees, it rested on a cross that rose above the thatched
roof of a Christian church. Here was the mission-station of Msalala, in
charge of Mr. Mackay; here assuredly were the outskirts of the world of
civilisation!
For twenty days a halt was made at Msalala. It was a well-earned rest.
The time during the stay was mainly occupied in providing for the
transport of the provisions which had been sent by the “Emin Pasha
Relief Committee” a year and a half previously; and in dealing with
the mass of correspondence which would have been forwarded to them
by way of Uganda and Unyoro, had not those districts been closed to
all Europeans. Since January 1888 Emin and Casati had received no
communications from Europe, Stanley having been cut off from all
correspondence since June 1887.
The next proceeding was to despatch an express courier from Msalala to
the coast with letters for Europe. The letters were delivered at the
coast station on November 2nd, and the substance of their contents was
immediately forwarded by telegraph.
Much refreshed by the three weeks’ repose, the caravan set forth again
on the 6th of September upon the last stage of its march. It proceeded
along the accustomed route, through Usikumu and Ihuru towards Mpwapwa.
Having twice already travelled along the greater part of this road,
Stanley was sanguine in believing that no difficulties would arise,
and that all hardships were at an end: but he was reckoning too fast;
he had to learn that till he was actually in port, he had obstacles to
overcome.
“Previously,” wrote Stanley about this time, “I have seen my
difficulties diminished as I have arrived nearer the coast. I cannot
say so much now. Our long train of invalids tells quite a different
tale. Until I can get these unfortunates on board a steamer there will
be no peace for me. And the most disheartening thing about it is that
after all the toil and trouble we have had in carrying them 1200 miles,
and in fighting for them to protect their lives, we see so many of them
die just as we are within sight of port.
“At the south of Lake Victoria, we passed four of the most harassing
days of the entire journey; there was respite during the night,
otherwise we had to fight continuously with scarcely a moment’s freedom
from attack. The natives seem to have an inexplicable hatred towards
the Egyptians, and in order to repulse them we were compelled to
inflict severe penalty upon them.”
Mpwapwa was reached on the 11th of November, fifty-five days after
leaving Msalala, and 188 days after setting out from Kavalli. On the
way, the number of the white men in the caravan had been increased
by two, as it had been joined by Fathers Girault and Schinze of the
Algerian mission; but in the ranks of the Egyptians, Zanzibaris, and
negroes the gaps were appalling. Out of the 1500 people who left Lake
Nyanza scarcely a moiety survived to arrive at Mpwapwa; the other 750
had fallen off or succumbed on the route, a number which tells its own
sad and impressive tale of the sufferings that had to be endured during
the 240 days of that gigantic march.
No sooner was the approach of the returning expedition made known at
Zanzibar than measures were promptly taken to send out provisions to
meet it on its way, the organisation of the party being under the
control of Major Wissmann, the German commissioner, and Mr. Stevens,
the correspondent of the _New York Herald_.
The meeting with the envoys from the civilised world occurred on the
30th at Mswa. How welcome they were needs not to be told; they were
not simply the bearers of material comfort, but the harbingers of
joy, announcing the satisfaction with which it was hailed that the
expedition had so happily accomplished its design.
“I feel”--this is what Stanley writes from Mswa--“just like a labourer
on a Saturday evening returning home with his week’s work done, his
week’s wages in his pocket, and glad that to-morrow is the Sabbath.”
Five days more and the protracted tramp was finished. The 2nd of
December was spent at Mbugani; the 3rd at Bigiro; on the 4th the
Kinghani river was crossed; and on the 5th Thalassa! Thalassa! the sea
was in sight!
The Zanzibaris, catching a glimpse of the water beyond the gardens of
Bagamoyo, were breathless with excitement; their eyes filled with tears
as their hearts were stirred with emotion. It was their native place;
they were at home once more.
At Bagamoyo the reception that awaited Stanley was such as had
never been accorded to an explorer of this generation. The town
was elaborately decorated; triumphal arches were erected across
the avenues; the German troops were drawn up under Major Wissmann,
himself distinguished in the annals of African exploration, having
twice traversed the continent, and being like Stanley enlisted by
the King of the Belgians for the great scheme of civilising Africa.
There, too, were the consuls and representatives of various powers,
bringing messages of congratulation from sovereigns, ministers, and
scientific bodies. And now when Stanley and his companions, mounted
on the horses which Major Wissman had provided, made their entry in
their travelling gear, their clothes in rags, their features furrowed
with the sufferings they had undergone, covered with the dust of the
last eight months’ toil, excitement knew no bounds; palm-branches were
waved; trumpets blazoned out their welcome; and salutes were thundered
forth by the soldiers mustered on the shore, and from the troopships
anchored in the harbour.
It was a noble triumph that had been nobly earned.
Three years had elapsed since the expedition had set out from Zanzibar
on its critical adventure. Unwearied skill, indomitable patience,
superhuman effort, had brought it to a prosperous issue. The hero had
returned, himself safe and sound, and had brought back Emin Pasha,
rescued from the savage heart of Africa.
INDEX.
Abd-el-Kader, 31.
Abou-Klea, 42.
Air-Sibba, fight at, 256.
Albert, Lake, 7;
first sight of, 268;
description, 273 _seqq._;
return to, 284, 316;
reservoir for Semliki river, 358.
Albert Edward, Lake, 357.
Ali-Kobo, 82.
Aluri tribe, 104.
Amadi, 53.
Ankori, 361.
Arrows, poisoned, 256.
Aruwimi river, 224 _seqq._
Bagamoyo, reception at, 368.
Baker, meets Speke and Grant in 1863, 5;
discovery of Lake Albert, 358.
Bakongo, 178.
Bakumu, 264.
Banalya, 302.
Bangala, 220.
Bari tribe, 59.
Barttelot, Major, 135, 292, 298.
Basoko, 225.
Bodo, Fort, 279, 309.
Bolobo, 211, 216.
Boma, 149, 157.
Bongo tribe, 47 _seqq._
Bor, 85.
Cameron, death of Mr., 42.
Cannibalism, 72, 78.
Casati, 76, 80;
at Unyoro, 288;
scruples, 342.
Chaillé-Long, 15.
Congo Free State, 146 _seqq._
Congo route, 131, 350.
Congo, the, 151, 163 _seqq._, 188.
Dinka tribe, 50.
Dufilé, 62, 89, 289, 324.
Dwarf races, 280.
Dyoor tribe, 50.
El-Gooba, 43.
Emin Pasha (Dr. Schnitzer), 63 _seqq._, 269, 284;
letters, 88, 96, 97, 101, 286, 316, 329;
meets first with Stanley, 331;
scientific interest, 98;
hesitation, 290, 334.
Equator Province, 55 _seqq._;
stations of, 95.
Equatorville, 218.
Etlu-Digu, 240.
Falls district, 162 _seqq._
Fanikoro, 104.
Felkin, Dr., letter from Emin to, 88.
Fischer, Dr., 124.
Fort Bodo, 279, 309.
Franqui, Lieutenant, letter from, 181.
French settlement, 150.
Gessi, Governor of Bahr-el-Ghazal, 18, 53.
Gondokoro, 5, 58.
Gordon, Governor of Soudan, 14;
at Cairo, 19;
again governor, 23;
at Brussels, 33;
proclamation, 35;
death, 44.
“Henry Reed,” steamboat, 201.
Herbert, death of, 42.
Hicks Pasha, 28.
Ibwiri, halt at, 261.
Ihuru, 305.
Itumbiri river, 211.
Ituri, 267.
Jameson, Mr., 135, 229;
death, 299.
Jephson, Mr. Mounteney, 135, 291, 309, 312, 319;
letters from, 322 _seqq._;
letter to, 326.
Junker, Dr., 68, 121, 125;
letter from, 119.
Kabrega, 107, 351.
Kafurro, 362.
Karam-Allah, 87.
Kative, 356.
Kavalli, 227, 268, 326.
Khartoum, description of, 1 _seqq._;
fall of, 44.
Kibiro, 105.
Kilemfi, 187.
Kilonga-Longa, 260.
Kinchassa, 208.
Kuzo-Kienzi market, 171.
Kya, 106.
Lado, 61.
“Land of rivers,” 46.
Latuka tribe, 60.
Leopold’s (King) instructions, 153.
Leopoldville, 191.
Lubali, 253.
Lukolela, 218.
Lukungu, 174.
Lupton Bey, 54, 85.
Luvu, river, 169.
Madi tribe, 57.
Mahdi, 23, 27;
proclamation, 90;
successor, 239, 240.
Makraka tribe, 57.
Manquelé, 192.
Manyanga, 179.
Matadi, 158.
Mazamboni, 264, 349.
Messalimmeh, 40.
Mitrailleuse (Maxim), 135, 159.
Mombuttoo tribe, 76 _seqq._
Mongalla, 211.
Mountains of the Moon, 353.
Mpwapwa, 366.
Msalala, 119, 364.
Msuata, 206.
Mswa, 287, 315.
Mtesa, 115.
Munza, 77, 280.
Muta Nzigé, 353.
Mwala, 176.
Mwanga, 117.
Niam-niam, 70 _seqq._
Nsello, 187.
Omar Saleh, letters from, 245, 319.
Omdurman, 43.
Osman Digna, 29;
letter from, 241.
Palaballa rock-wall, 168.
Panga Falls, 255.
Parke, Dr., 135, 282, 301, 349.
Raouf Pasha, 22.
Rejaf, 321, 324.
Remio, 92.
Routes, choice of, 127, 350.
Rumbek, 52, 84.
Ruwenzori, 274, 350.
Sanga, 132.
Schweinfurth, Dr., 47, 71, 79, 80, 126, 235, 279.
Semliki, 274, 357.
Shuli tribe, 104.
Soudan, extent in 1877, 20;
evacuation of, 346.
Stanley, sent for, 127;
illness, 282, 349;
letters from, 144, 198, 214, 262, 263, 302, 306, 326, 335;
popularity of, 186;
meeting with Emin, 287, 331;
reception at Bagamoyo, 368.
Stanley Falls, 228, 297.
Stanley Pool, 188 _seqq._
Stewart, General, 41, 42.
Tippoo Tib, 137 _seqq._, 222, 228, 237;
Stanley’s letter to, 302.
Tunguru, 274.
Uganda, 93, 113.
Ugarrowwa, 259, 301.
Unyoro, 107, 274.
Van Gèle, Captain, 140, 241, 297.
Vossion, description of Khartoum, 1.
Vote of money, 40.
Wadelai, 93, 333.
Wambundu, 187.
Warasura, 351, 356.
Wauters, 131.
Welle, river, 66 _seqq._
White Nile, stations on, 95.
White Pasha, 238.
Wilson, Colonel, 43.
Wolseley, Lord, at Wady Halfa, 41.
Yambuya, 227 _seqq._
Yankondé, 250.
Yombi, 187.
Zebehr (Suleiman), 17, 37.
Zeribas, 12.
THE END.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] A. J. Wauters, _Le Mouvement geographique_, 1885–1887.
[2] Schweinfurth, “Heart of Africa,” vol. ii. p. 12.
[3] Schweinfurth, “Heart of Africa,” vol. ii. p. 85.
[4] _Ibid._, vol. ii. p. 119.
[5] Since then five other stations have been reoccupied. These are
Makraka-Sugaire and Wandy in the Makraka country, Mahagi on Lake
Albert, and Faloro and Fadibek in the interior, east of the Nile.
[6] It now seems tolerably certain that the White Pasha whose exploits
were re-echoed from Khartoum was Captain von Gèle, of the Congo Free
State, who at the beginning of the year had been arrested in his
exploration of the Welle, by the hostility of the Yakoma people,
near the confluence of the Mbomo, which has its source somewhere in
proximity to the sources of nearly all the principal affluents of the
Bahr-el-Ghazal.
Transcriber’s Notes:
1. Obvious printers’, punctuation and spelling errors have been
corrected silently.
2. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have
been retained as in the original.
3. Where appropriate, the original spelling has been retained.
4. Italics are shown as _xxx_.