Sir Allen Apsley, hearing of the treatment accorded to his_Noble Deeds of the World's Heroines

brother-in-law, used his influence to bring about a change in his

condition, but the alteration came too late, and he died on September

11, 1664. Lucy Hutchinson was not present when he died, but the

message he sent to her was:--'Let her, as she is above other women,

show herself on this occasion a good Christian, and above the pitch of

ordinary minds.'

Little is known of Lucy Hutchinson after her husband's death, beyond

that she soon sold Owthorpe, and that some years later she referred to

herself as being in adversity. By adversity she probably referred to

her widowed state, for it is very unlikely that with many rich

relatives a woman of simple tastes would be in want of money. But of

this we may be sure: that, whether old age found her rich or poor, it

found her a noble-minded, Christian Englishwoman.

LADY BAKER, AN EXPLORER'S COMPANION

When Samuel White Baker decided to make an attempt to discover the

sources of the Nile, his young wife determined to accompany him and

share his dangers and hardships. On April 15, 1861, they started from

Cairo, and after a twenty-six days' journey by boat they disembarked at

Korosko, and plunged into the dreary desert. Their camels travelled at

a rapid pace, but the heat was terrible, and Mrs. Baker was taken

seriously ill before arriving at Berber. She was, however,

sufficiently recovered to accompany her husband when he started off

along the dry bed of the Atbara, and soon had a novel experience, which

Baker in _The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia_, describes as follows:--

'At half-past eight I was lying half asleep upon my bed by the margin

of the river, when I fancied that I heard a rumbling like distant

thunder. Hardly had I raised my head to listen more attentively, when

a confusion of voices arose from the Arabs' camp, with the sound of

many feet; and in a few minutes they rushed into my camp, shouting to

my men in the darkness, "El Bahr! El Bahr!"'[1] The rolling flood was

sweeping down the dry bed of the river. 'We were up in an instant.

Many of the people were asleep on the clean sand in the river's bed;

these were quickly awakened by the Arabs.... Hardly had they (the

Arabs) descended, when the sound of the river in the darkness beneath

told us that the water had arrived; and the men, dripping with wet, had

just sufficient time to drag their heavy burdens up the bank. All was

darkness and confusion. The river had arrived like "a thief in the

night."'

When daylight came a mighty river was flowing where yesterday there was

only dry land.

Proceeding to Kassala, Baker engaged additional camels and attendants,

and then crossing the Atbara at Korasi proceeded to Sofi, where he

decided to halt for five months. Big game abounded, and Baker enjoyed

excellent sport. Shooting and studying Arabic occupied nearly all his

attention, until Mrs. Baker was taken ill with gastric fever. For a

time it was not expected that she would recover; but, fortunately, she

was spared to assist her husband in the arduous labours which followed.

Mr. and Mrs. Baker arrived at Khartoum on June 11, 1862, and remained

there for six months, waiting for the rains to cease, and for the

northerly winds to set in. Quitting Khartoum on December 18, 1862,

they arrived at Gondokoro on February 2, 1863. Baker was the first

Englishman to visit the place, and the reception which the

slave-traders accorded him was far from cordial. Believing him to be a

spy of the British Government, they concealed their slaves, and waited

anxiously for him to depart. In the meanwhile they made friends with

his men, sowed discontent amongst them, and succeeded in inciting them

to make a raid for food on the natives in the next village.

Baker, hearing of the proposed raid, promptly forbade it, whereupon his

men mutinied. Seizing the ringleader, Baker proceeded to give him a

sound thrashing, but was at once attacked by the rest of the men, and

would certainly have been killed had not Mrs. Baker rushed to the

rescue. Her sudden appearance on the scene--for it was known she was

ill with fever--and her appeals to some of the men to help her save her

husband caused the mutineers to hesitate. Instantly Baker saw his

opportunity. 'Fall in!' he commanded, and so accustomed were the men

to obeying his orders that the majority fell in instantly. The

ringleader and a few others refused to obey, and Baker was about to

administer another thrashing to the former when his wife besought him

not to do so. He acted on her advice, and promised to overlook the

mutineers' conduct if they apologised, which they promptly and

profusely did.

The slave-traders now declared that they would not permit the Bakers to

penetrate into the interior, but, ignoring the threats, husband and

wife resumed their journey. Soon they came into contact with a

well-armed party of these traders, and a fight would have resulted had

not Mrs. Baker suggested that they should make friends with the leader.

'Had I been alone,' Baker writes, 'I should have been too proud to have

sought the friendship of the sullen trader; and the moment on which

success depended would have been lost.... The fate of the expedition

was retrieved by Mrs. Baker.'

It was, of course, a trying task for Mr. and Mrs. Baker to be on

friendly terms with a slave-trader, and they both felt it to be so, but

it was productive of good. The slave-trader informed Baker that his

(Baker's) men intended to mutiny and kill him and his wife. Baker was

on his guard, and nipped the mutiny in the bud.

After many hardships and perils borne uncomplainingly by Mrs. Baker,

they reached the territory of the King of Unyoro, where his majesty's

brother, M'gambi, was continually asking for presents. Having received

a great number from Baker, M'gambi went on to demand that Mrs. Baker

might be given to him. 'Drawing my revolver quietly, I held it within

two feet of his chest,' Baker writes, 'and looking at him with

undisguised contempt, I told him that if I touched the trigger, not all

the men could save him: and that it he dared to repeat the insult I

would shoot him on the spot. At the same time, I explained to him that

in my country such insolence would entail bloodshed; and I looked upon

him as an ignorant ox who knew no better; and that this excuse alone

could save him. My wife, naturally indignant, had risen from her seat,

and maddened with the excitement of the moment, she made a little

speech in Arabic (not a word of which he understood) with a countenance

almost as amiable as the head of Medusa. Altogether the

_mise-en-scene_ utterly astonished him. The woman, Bacheta, although

savage, had appropriated the insult to her mistress, and she also

fearlessly let fly at him, translating as nearly as she could the

complimentary address that "Medusa" had just delivered.

Whether this little _coup de theatre_ had so impressed M'gambi with

British female independence, that he wished to be "off his bargain," I

cannot say; but, with an air of complete astonishment, he said; "Don't

be angry! I had no intention of offending you by asking for your wife;

I will give you a wife if you want one; and I thought you had no

objection to give me yours: it is my custom to give my visitors pretty

wives, and I thought you might exchange. Don't make a fuss about it;

if you don't like it, there's an end of it: I will never mention it

again." This very practical apology I received very sternly.'

After this interview with M'gambi, the Bakers resumed their journey,

escorted by 300 local men, whose services Baker soon discovered it

would be advisable to dispense with. He was now left with only twelve

men, and it was doubtful whether he would be able to reach his

destination and get back to Gondokoro in time to catch the last boat to

Khartoum that season. If he failed to do so, it meant another year in

Central Africa, and he did not wish his wife to endure that. But Mrs.

Baker was interested deeply in her husband's work, and urged him not to

consider her health before accomplishing his task.

A few days later she received a sun-stroke, and for several days lay in

a litter in an unconscious state. Brain fever followed, and no one

believed that she could possibly recover. A halt was made, and the men

put a new handle to the pick-axe ready to dig a grave, the site of

which had been selected. But the preparations were premature. Mrs.

Baker recovered consciousness, and two days later the weary march was

resumed, to be crowned on March 14, 1864, with success, for on that day

they saw before them the tremendous sheet of water now well known by

the name the discoverer gave it, there and then,--the Albert Nyanza.

We can imagine Mrs. Baker's joy on finding that their expedition had

been crowned with success, and that the perils and hardships which she

had shared uncomplainingly with her husband had not been endured in

vain. It would perhaps have only been natural if she had now urged her

husband to return to civilisation as quickly as possible, but she did

not do so.

For thirteen days they explored in canoes the eastern shore of the

newly-discovered lake, coming at last to the mouth of Somerset or

Victoria Nile. Ascending the river they discovered a series of

cataracts, ending in a magnificent fall. These Baker named Murchison

Falls, as a compliment to the President of the Royal Geographical

Society. Continuing the journey on foot, they came to a deserted

village, where they were compelled to remain for two months through the

treachery of the King of Unyoro. This dusky potentate had promised

Baker every assistance that he could give, but having decided to make

an attack on two neighbouring tribes he asked the Englishman to

accompany his force and fight for him. This Baker refused to do, and,

in revenge, the king sent secret orders to Baker's followers to desert

him, and leave him and his wife to starve. In a desolate spot, unable

to obtain provisions, Mr. and Mrs. Baker existed for two months,

growing weaker daily from fever and want of proper food. However,

after many attempts, Baker managed to obtain an interview with the

king, and persuaded him to treat them humanely. The king would not,

however, allow them to quit his territory, and it was not until

November, 1864, that they succeeded in escaping.

After many adventures they arrived at Khartoum on May 3, 1865, where

their arrival created great surprise among the Europeans, who had long

since been convinced that they were dead.

On reaching England in October, 1865, the Bakers were given an

enthusiastic reception. Various learned societies at home and abroad

bestowed their highest honours upon Baker, and Queen Victoria conferred

a knighthood upon him.

Mrs. Baker's bravery in accompanying her husband through so many

dangers was naturally praised by all classes, and it was felt by many

people that some honour should be conferred upon her. In Messrs.

Murray and White's _Sir Samuel Baker: a Memoir_ (Macmillan), it is

stated that Mr. W. E. Gladstone proposed that a subscription should be

started for presenting a suitable testimonial to her. This was,

however, prior to her becoming Lady Baker, and perhaps it was

considered that having received an honour the testimonial was

unnecessary. At any rate Mr. Gladstone's suggestion was not carried

out.

In the spring of 1869, Sir Samuel and Lady Baker returned to Africa.

The Khedive had appointed Sir Samuel Governor-General of the Equatorial

Nile Basin, to suppress the slave-trade, to develop the natural

resources of the country, and open the great lakes to navigation. This

was a formidable task, and made more difficult by the jealousy of the

Egyptian authorities, who neglected to give him the support which they

should have done.

For two years Sir Samuel Baker was busy fighting slave-traders and

native tribes, and throughout this exciting period he was accompanied

by his wife, who was subjected to the same dangers as he or any man in

his force. At one time she was in great danger of being laid low at

any moment by bullet or spear. This was during the retreat from

Masendi, a position which Sir Samuel Baker was compelled to abandon on

June 14, 1872. For eighty miles the little band, composed of about 100

men, marched in double file through tangled forest and gigantic grass,

fighting the whole distance. Bullets whizzed past Lady Baker, and many

a spear went within an inch of her, but unalarmed she marched on

_carrying ammunition_. The enemy hoped to annihilate the party before

it got clear of the long grass, but the determined men who were

fighting for their lives discovered the ambuscades and drove out the

enemy. Night and day the hidden foe harassed the party, and Lady Baker

knew that any moment might be her last. Nevertheless, she trudged on

with her burden of ammunition, and on some occasions marched sixteen

miles at a stretch. It was a weary march through that

grass-jungle--which harboured hundreds of the enemy--and it seemed that

it would never end. To accelerate their retreat, the cattle were

abandoned and loads of valuable goods were burnt or thrown away. At

times it seemed as if they could not possibly escape, and, in fact,

news reached England that they had been slaughtered during the retreat

from Masendi.

However, they got through safely, and shortly afterwards inflicted a

crushing defeat on the enemy. Lady Baker was present at this battle,

but although the bullets whizzed to the right, to the left, and above

her, she escaped injury. Sir Samuel not only praised her bravery, but

he wrote of her: 'She has always been my prime minister, to give good

counsel in moments of difficulty and danger.'

On completion of the four years' service for which the Khedive had

engaged him, Sir Samuel Baker returned with his wife to England, where

once more they received an enthusiastic reception. When they again

travelled abroad it was in more civilised parts of the world, and

unattended by the perils which had assailed them in Africa. Sir Samuel

Baker died on December 30, 1893, at Sandford Orleigh, near Newton

Abbot, aged 72. He was a brave and clever man, but not a little of his

success was due to the fact that he had a wife who shared his ambition,

and did all that lay in her power to bring his undertakings to a

successful issue.

[1] The river.

THE END.

The Young Girl's Library.

TWO GIRLS IN A SIEGE. A Tale of the Great Civil War. By EDITH C.

KENYON, Author of "Queen of Nine Days," etc. With Three Illustrations

by J. MACFARLANE.

THE SHEPHERD'S FAIRY. By the Author of "Mr. Mygale's Hobby." With

Three Illustrations.

MISS NETTIE'S GIRLS. A Story of London East End Life. By CONSTANCE

EVELYN. With Three Illustrations.

GWEN'S INFLUENCE. By FRANCES TOFT, Author of "Uncle Ronald," etc.

With Three Illustrations by CHARLES HORRELL.

CHRISTIE REDFERN'S TROUBLES. By MRS. ROBERTSON. With Three

Illustrations by E. BARNARD LINTOTT, Author of "The Orphans of Glen

Elder."

ANGEL'S BROTHER. By ELEANOR A. STOOKE, Author of "The Bottom of the

Bread Pan." With Three Illustrations by W. H. C. GROOME.

THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. LONDON.