ME STANLEY'S MISSION.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2795, 29 January 1878, Page 2

ME STANLEY'S MISSION.

Tfco Thirty-tyro Battles.

(FBOX THE DAIIT TEMGRiPK, NOT. 22.)

{Continued.)

TO THE EDITOBS OF THE DlllT TStX' GBAPH AHP HBW YOBK HBBiXD.

Loanda, West Coast of Afmca, September 6,1877. Immediately we had arrired at Vinya Njara with our sick we were attacked; one of my people was killed, others were wounded, aud we had 72 sick with «m«llpox. We plunged into the bush with desperate energy, and in a short time cleared the skirts of the camp. Then returning, we at once set to work to make the place defensible, aud while skirmishers lay in wait in front, we cut the bush down for a distance of 200 yards. Through the night the poisoued Hrrows flew, and were heard tapping trees and huts most unpleasantly, and erery now and then some wide-awake skirmisher awoke the echoes of the night with his loud-roiced musket, but with harmless effect. Kelt morning we moTed and occupied the town of Vinya Aljara, to house our sick and wounded, and the day was spent in repelling attacks and fortifying the town. Two days and two nights we bore cruel attacks by laud and water. The entire country was roused against us. From Usongora Meno they came in a large number of canoes; while the Baljusu warriors were engaged by Vinya Ifjara to enter their country and "eat us." These bowmen climbed tall trees, and nny person showing himself in the broad street of the little town became a target at once. We were unable to bury our dead, or to attend

to the delirious wounded. On the morhing of the third day the land division appeared, and things changed for the better; but a great force of Wasongora Meno, with 40 or 50 canoes, were gathered on an island in our vicinity with the intention of possessing themselves of our boat and canoes. These it was necessary to punish, and I accordingly led a night expedition, and cast-all their canoes adrift. Some of the best canoes we - secured.

The next morning I went to visit them on the island. Thej were already become aware, however, of their posilioiMupd by means of three or four canoes, unieen by us during the night, bad escaped. I next tamed my attention to the Bakusu and .their friends, and these were also driven from the woods, so that for the next.ten days there was rest, during which time the natives made proposals of peace, which we gladly accepted. Here the Arab escort, after taking us 125 miles from Nyangwe, parted from as. They had already exacted that the natires should leave the road free for them. It was an anxious, period this of pur part ing, for I feared that there would be a mutiny; but my young men were staunch and too well-trained to desert me at this critical period. My captains were also secured, and largesses given to everybody. They all-said—"The white" man with the open hand was their father, He had taken ..... them through ever so much trouble safe, and, please God, they would take him to his white brothers on the sea. They had known him now nearly seren years, and his baud was always open. As they had been faithful to the,aged traveller who had died in, Muilala, so they would bt to him who led them through Turn and TTnyoro* r - and round the greatlakes." On Dec. 28 the\£d expedition was mustered—l4B souls, men and women—and each person answered to hi* name. To the sound of the thrilling farewell song of the Wanyamweii we took our seats, and formed a line in mid* river, my boat in front. The influence of the song, whose notes were borne in wild and weird tones across the rirer, proved too much for my people; they wept as though they were nearly heart broken. " Children of Zansibar! I shouted to them. "Lift up your heads. Cryiout, ' Bismiliah!' and dash your paddles into the water. Let the Wanyamwesi return to Nyangwe and tell the tale to your friends what brere men those were who took the white man down the Great Hirer to the sea." It was, nevertheless, one of the saddest days I remember to have spent in Africa. On Jan. 4,1877, we came to the first of what proved a series of cataracts, x>r, to use a more, correct term, falls, below the confluence of the Lumami, and the Lualaba, or the Lowa, as the river was now called. Our troubles now began in earnest. . We were hunted like game. Night and day every nerve had to be strained to defend ourselves. Pour times on January 4 we broke through the linei of canoes brought out against us, and finally we were halted by the Baswa Falls, in S. lat. 0 deg. 32 mm. 36 see. The savages seemed to think that we had no resource left but to surrender and be eaten at thei? leisure. Again', and again were we compelled to repulse the furious charges that they made to drive us over the Falls. The people of die Falls Islands also came up ta assist the cannibals of Mwana Ktaba. After constructing a fence of brush around on . the forest side, the best sharpshooter! were placed in position for defence. For the ensuing 24 days we had fearful work, constructing camps by night along the line marked out daring the day, witting roads from above to below each fall, dragging our heavy canoes through the woods, whilst the most active of the young men —the boat's crew—repulsed the savages, and foraged for food. On Jan. 27 we had passed in this desperate way 42 geographical miles by six falls, and to effect it had dragged our canoes a distance of 13 miles by land, through roads which we had cut through, the forest. Our provisions in the meantime we had to procure rs we best could. When we had cleared the lest fell, Odeg. 14min. 52seo. N. lat., we halted two days for rest, which we all very much needed. In the passage of these falls we lost five men only. After passing this series of rapids, we entered upon different scenes. The river was gradually widening from the usual 1,500 or 2.C00 yards breadth, to two and three miles, it then began to receive grander affluents, and soon assumed a lacustrine breadth, from four to ten miles. Islaads also were so numerous that only once a day were we able to obtain a glimpse of the opposite bank. We had reached the great basin between the maritime and lake regions. The first day we entered this region we were attacked three times by three separate tribes; the second day we maintained a running fight almost the entire twelve hours, which culminated in a grand naval action at the confluence of the Aruwimi—the Welle (P) —with the Lualaba. As we crossed over from the current of the Lualaba to that - of the Aruwimi, and had snatched a glance at the breadth of the magnificent affluent we were quite taken aback by the grand preparations for oar reception. Fifty-four canoes came rushing down on us with such fury that I saw I must act at once if I wished to save the expedition. Four of our canoes, in a desperate fright, became panic stricken, and began to pull fast down stream; but they were soon brought back. We dropped our stone anchors, formed a dose line, and calmly waited events. Down the natives came, fast and furious, but in magnificent style. Everything about them was superb. r Their canoes were enormous things, one especially, a monster of 80 paddlers, 40. on a side, with paddles Bft long, jqieaj-- .. headed, and really pointed with iron blades, for close quarters, I presume. I he top of each paddle shaft was adorned with an ivory ball. The chiefs pranced up and down a planking that ran from stem to stern. On a platform near the bow were ten choice young fellows swap ing their long spears at the ready. .In the stern of this great war canoe stood eight steersmen, guiding her towards us. There were about twenty—threefourths of her size—also fine looking, but none made quite such an imposing show. At a rough guess there must have been from 1500 to 2,000 savages within these. 54 canoes. I cannot think that these belonged all to one power. I imagine it was a preconcerted arrangement with neighboring tribes, got specially up for our entertainment. We had, however, no time even to breathe a- ahort prayer or to think of iudulging in a sentimental farewell to the murderous cannibalistio world in which we found ourselves. The enemy, in full confidence of victory, was on us, and the big monster as it shot past us, lauuehed a spear—the first. We waited no longer; they had clearly come to fuht. The cruel faces, the loudly Iviumphant drums, the deafen-

ing horns, the launched spear, the swaying bodies, ail proved it; and every gun in oar little fleet angrily gave response to our foes. Wo were in a second almost surrounded, nnd clouds of ■pears hurtled and hissed for a short time —say, 10 minutea. They then gave way, and we lifted anchors nnd charged them, following them with fatal result. Wo were earned away with our indgnnnt feelings. We followed them to the shore, chased them on land into 10 or 12 of their tillages, and, after securing some of the abundance of food we found there, I sounded the recall. To the victors belong the spoil—at least, so thought my people •-and the amount of ivory they discovered lying useless about astonished me. There was an ivory " temple '—a structure of solid tasks surrounding an idol; ivory logs, which, by the marks of hatchets visible on them, must have been Hied to chop wood upon; ivory war-horns, gome of them three feet long; ivory mallets, ivory wedges to split wood, ivory pestles to grind their cassava, and before the chief's house was a verandah, or bur■ah, the posts of which were long tusks of ivory. We picked up 133 pieces of ivory which, according to rough calculation, would realise, or ought to realise, about §18,000. These, I told the men, they must consider as their prize money. In this fight we only lost one man. Our expedition was, however, becoming thinned in these repeated attaoks made on us by such piratical cannibals. We had lost 16 men already. There were no means to return to Nyangwe, for we bad resolutely put six cataracts between us and the possibility of returning; besides, we were about 350 xnftes, according to the course of the rirS*ror 296 geographical miles north of Nyangwe. Why should we not ascend the Welle, and try by that roadP But I fell almost convinced I was on the Congo. I was in N. lat-Odeg.. 46min. Looked I where I might on my chart, I saw I was in the midst of a horrible, hateful blankness—a meaningless yoid. Yet to fight daily three or four times each day, our ammunition' would not last. Nature could not even sustain such, a strain as we experienced. The increasing breadth of the river below this last great affluent pointed a way of escape. I would abandon the mainland, and lose myself among the islands. I should thus pass by many afflrients, but it could not be helped. The main thing, after all, was the greut river itself, the receiver of all affluents. The boat led the way to the islands. The first attempt was unsuccessful, for the channels, alter taking us by half-a-dozen islets, exposed us again to the savages, and we, of course, were again compelled to fight. After two or three attempts we learned to distinguish the mainland from the islands, and we glided down for fire days without trouble, further than anxiety for food. Driven at last by pressing hunger to risk an encounter with the savages, we came to a Tillage in N. lafc., ldeg., 40 mm., and E. long., 23deg., where the behaviour of the natives was different. Three canoes advanced to meet us, and addressed some words which we did not understand. The canoes retreated, but, having told my little fleet to drop anchor, I allowed the boat to drift down, and anchored opposite the Tillage, at only 20 yards from the shore. We made signs that we wanted foot?, showed copper bracelets, cowries, red and white necklaces, cloths, and brass wire—in short, resorted to our usual way of opening friendly communications when permitted by : natives 'disposed to be friendly. The negotiations were long—very long; but we were patient. What made us hopeful was their pacific demeanour, so opposite to those above, and at last, after five hour's, we succeeded. That day, after 26 fights on the Great Hirer, was hailed as the beginning of happy days. We certainly were now the happiest fellows in existence. When the old chief came to the bank to negotiate with the white stranger, we lifted our anchor and steered for him. My coxswain and self sprang ashore. Our canoes were anchored 400 yards off. The kindly visage of the old chief was so different from the hateful faces we bad lately seen that I almost crushed his hand, making him hop, out of pure love. My coxswain—a braver soul was never found within a black ■kin, but more of him by-and-bye—he too hugged everybody all round, and hugging matches took place. The boat boys grew enthusiatic, and they also followed the example of Uledi the coxswain. In the meantime the old chief drew me apart, and pointed to the face of Frank, amid the dark skins of tbe soldiers in mid-river. "Ah! he is my young brother," I said. " Then he must make friends with my son," said the chief; and Frank was accordingly hailed and told to come ashore,. and the solemn ceremony of brotherhood ensued—the white man's and black man's blood were made to flow in one current, find a covenant of eternal peace and fraternity was concluded. *' What river is this, Chief P " I asked. " Tha Birer," he replied. " Has it no name P " I asked.

" Yes; the Great Eiver." "I understand; but you have a name and I hare a name; your village has a name. Have you no particular name for your river P (We spoke in bad Kikusu.) " It is called Ikutu Ya Kongo." The river of Congo 1 There was, then, no doubt, though we were still about 860 miles ■ from the Atlantic Ocean, and over 909 miles below Nyangwe Manyema. To h continued. ~