THE VOYAGERS THE MYSTERY OF LIVINGSTONE'S RIVER

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 136, 11 June 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE VOYAGERS

THE MYSTERY OF LIVINGSTONE'S RIVER

DAVID LIVINGSTONE was dead! The bare news shocked the world that had become familiar with the work of the greatest >of missionary travellers. Africa was the oldest continent known to man and still the least known. Mighty rivere flowed from the dark interior emptying their warm, turgid watere into the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indian Oceans. For centuries traders •nd slave raiders had navigated hundreds of miles inland without, in the majority of cases, penetrating to their source. Livingstote had done more than any one man to wreet from the dark continent its secrets eo long guarded by the triple threat of savages, sickness and wild animals. And now he was lead, with hie great work of exploring the sources of the Nile unfinished. 0 When the full story wa* told, how, even after death his native servants were faithful to their trust, carrying his remains and his papers, through hundreds of miles of trackless forest to the coast, it aroused public interest and gave great impetus to the cause of geographical discovery. With backing from the public and two great newspapers, the London "Dally Telegraph" and the New York "Herald," a large, well-equipped expedition was planned to carry out Livingstone's unfinished work and to explore a great river discovered hy him and thought to be either the Congo, or a tributary of the Ntte. His friend, H. M. Stanley, an American newspaper correspondent. wa» chosen to command it and the full etorr of his great journey from east to west is found in that best known of book* of modern exploration, "Though the Dark Continent." In August, 1874, Stanley's expedition left England. He had with him three Englishmen, an abundance of stores and equipment, and a large river boat built, in eight sections so that it could be dismantled and carTied through the jungle. Arriving at Zanzibar on the east coast they started inland with a small army of native porter*. They were headinsr for Lake Victoria Nyanza and travelled through country later known as

German East Africa and now a British Protectorate. Entering the denser jungle they found hunting impossible to a travelling caravan and they had to subsist entirely on stores they carried. One white man died from fever and nine of the coast natives. Hostile savages threatened their flanks and often a sharp volley from Stanley's men was all that prevented a pitched battle. On February 27. 1875, they reached the shores of Lake Victoria Nyanza discovered by the explorer Speke 1C years before, who thought it to be the source of the Nile. The boat. "Lady Alice," was assembled and launched upon the waters described as being "transformed to silver by the dazzling sun." The main party remained in camp with the two Englishmen in charge. Stanley, with a heavily-armed crew, hoisted sail and commenced a voyage of circumnavigation. . "The sky ie gloomy," Stanley writes in his aceoxmt, "the rocks are bare and rugged, the land silent and lonely. The rowing of the people is that of men bound to certain death."

Their quiet voyage was broken by a sudden terrific equell. The Lady Alice leaped ahead like a startled animal, heeling- right over till the foaming waves epilled over the gunwale. The crew was in a panic. Only Stanley's good seamanship brought the half-swamped veaeel to safety in a sheltered bay. Sailing on. they passed the northern outlet called the Victoria Nile, inhabited by cenniba] eavages, and reached the western shore where dwelt a powerful native king, M'teea, who was ruler over Uganda and its three million people. A flotilla of canoes met them and they were treated royally. During a stay of 12 days Stanley did what he could to impart the Christian faith to this intelligent native and his court.

Beyond the territory of M'tesa they ran into an ambush. Being short of provisions they wera landing to trade with eeeming friendly nativee when a crowd of ar.ued men appeared and, seizing the boat, dragged it on to the beach and seized the oers. Stanley prepared to die fighting. Thinking them secured without their oars the savages left

by H. F. Williams

them unguarded for a few moments. Stanley ordered his men to tear up the floor boards for oars and, standing in the bow, covered the retreat, doing fearful execution with his elephant rifle and explosive bullets. On May 6 their camp came in sight, the circumnavigation was complete. Sad newe awaited them. "Where is Barker?" asked Stanley, as Frank Pocock advanced to meet him. "He died 12 days ago," was the melancholy answer. The whole expedition now moved to Uganda, exploring the mountains end rivers, and then travelled on to Lake Tanganyika. It was here, some five yeare before, that Stanley had first met Livingstone. The lake was circumnavigated and Stanley proved that there was no connection between Victoria Nyanza and Tanganyika, Tanganyika having only a periodic outlet, and none at all in a dry season. There now remained the greater task of exploring the river discovered by Livingstone and explored by him for 1300 miles. Was it the Niger, the Congo or the Kile T The nativr-e called it Lualaba. The Lady Alice was dismantled once more and carried overland for over 200 miles. Where Stanley first sighted the Lualeba it was about three-quarters of a mUe wide, pale grey in colour, and he likened it to the great Mississippi above the confluence of the Missouri. Sailing downstream for nearly 400 miles they met an Arab chief, TippnTib, who became a close friend to Stanley. He tried to dissuade him from following the river further. telling of the terribla things that Jiirked in the jungle on either bank — boa constrictors, warrior ants, leopards, gorillas and cannibal blacks armed with poisoned arrows. He told of how a party of 300 men, armed with guns, entered the forest and onlv 60 returned.

Btit Stanley could, not be turned aside. The old Arab chief ajjreed to help him, providing over 100 men with firearms and 70 spearmen. Marching across country they reached the river ajrain in 17 'days. Canoes were boujrht and some built. TippuTib would jeto no further, so Stanley said good-bye and embarked with hie own men. Denee jungle overhung

the hanks on either side and now that the party wae smaller, band* of savages armed with shields and spears would appear in every opening shouting "Meatl Meat! Ha! ha! Xow we shall have plenty of meat." By January, 1877, they reached the first rapide of what is now called Stanley Falls. They had to leave the river and cut a road eiong the bank, over which to carry the canoes, for 22 days they etruggled on suffering daily attacks from the bloodthirsty savages. The last cataract passed, they launched the canoe* and paddled swiftly away, grateful to be free from the deafening roar of the falls and the silent, deadly flights of arrowe. For weeks they journeyed thus, subject to swift deadly attacks whenever they approached the bank or landed) to portage. At the junction of their river and a large tributary a determined attack was launched by 30 large canoee crowded with warriors. Stanley anchored his little flotilla in midstream and poured volley after volley into the approaching enemy, making terrible havoc. The attack was turned to a rout with hardly any loss to the explorers. On they went, fighting miniature battles every few days. Poor Frank Pocock tried to ehevot the great Maesassa Falls which the others portaged. The canoe wa« whirled broadside over the falls and poor Pocock was never seen again. Stanley was now alone with the natives and somewhat unnerved by the tragedy, out there was no other course for him but to continue. Week* later he reached the Jgangiln Cataract. These falls had l»een mapped by two explorers in lSIfl and Stanley now knew hi* <rrp«t task was over. TTie river discovered l>v Livingstone and explored for thousands of miles by himself was the Congo. The boats were abandoned now and the whole expedition took the shortest and beet route overland to the coast. Travel-worn and half starved, the remnants of the party reached Boms, near the we*t coast, on August 0. 1877. Three day* later Stanley sighted the Atlantic. Africa had been traversed from east to west, and Livingetone'i river was the Congo.