IN THE STEPS OF STANLEY. The Track of his Expedition Strewn With Corpses.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 422, 23 November 1889, Page 4

IN THE STEPS OF STANLEY. The Track of his Expedition Strewn With Corpses.

The Rev. J. H. Camp, who has been in Central Africa as an exploring: and mechanical missioning for the American Baptist Missionary Society, has arrived at his home in Lafayette after an absence of nearly three years. Mr Camp arrived at Banana, Africa, April 6, ISS7, and left for the interior a month lattor, travelling "p the Congo River in charge of the steamer Henry Rood. On his trip inland he was accompanied by live whites and forty natives. They passed through some sections of the country which had never befoio been visited by a white man. The most profound surprise was manifested at their appearance and actions, and the conclusion finally reached by the natives was that they were evil and hostile spirits. They were accordingly attacked several times and lost many of their men. With regard to Stanley, Mr Camp said he had followed the explorer's route about a month behind him for several hundred miles,and that very many bodies ot Stanley's men who died on the way were found along the route. He also said that in April, 1887, Stanley left Loopoldville, having requisitioned all the available steamers, and, taking about eight hundred men, he started for Aruwhimi, where he arrived some time m May. From there Stanley proceeded onward in his search of Emm Pasha and at length found him. Emm at first agreed to accompany him to the coast. When Stanley loft Aruwhimiheleft behind him a relief expedition under the charge of Major Bartletfand Mr Jamieson, with orders to toliow him in one year if he was not heard from in that time. Before the expiration ot the time fully ninety of the relief party died fiom dysentery, and Bartlett was forced to apply to Tippo Tib for assist ance in carrying the goods inland. Terms beingagreed upon, a start was made. On the second day out, Bartlett was shot by one of Tippo Tib's men, and died within a few hours, Owing to the disturbed state of affaiis Jamieson, the next in command, decided to return to Aruwhimi and to restock the goods. Although very ill himself, he started down the river to Bungala, where he arrived in August, and on the day following his arrival he died. It is from his diary that the failure ot the leliet expedition was learned. At the time of the death of Jamieson, Ward, who was connected with the expedition, was still further down the river, at Lowanda getting orders from Sir Alexander McKinnon, the piesident of the Emm Bey relief expedition and of the British East African Company. He returned to Bungala with orders for an expedition to start at once in search of Stanley, and, learning of the death of Jamieson andtheconfusion that had resulted, he again returned to the lower Congo to repent the information and gel further ordeis. After Ward returned trom the lower to the upper Congo the second time he found that Stanley had been at Aruwhimi, had taken the goods left there and had left a mail in charge of Tippoo Tib, to be forwarded to Europe. This was in August, 1888, and was the first information received from Stanley. (Stanley left all the whites inland when he came to Aruwhimi, and brought none but natives along ,vith him, some of whom he left there with instructions for Ward to send them to Zanzibar. Ward went to Aruwhimi and got the mail and the men referred to, and lashing two large canoes together, floated down the river. He took supper with us at Bowemba Station of the A. B. M. U. and left with us two of his Nyam IN yam men who were sick and whom we brought to Stanley Pool, where one of them died, and the other was presented to a party there, in whose service he has since been. Ward came down the river from Stanley Pool two days behind me, bringing the news that the State station of Leopoldville had been vi&ited by a terrible disease, one of the sufferers being Gov. Vangolle, of tho Bungala district, who received a commission trom the King of Belginm to go inland and explore the great Walla River. I have learned since that he recovered. "Ward took the Zanzibar men he had with them to Madiera, sent them to their homes and started to Rotterdam. Regarding Stanley's intentions for the future, Mr Camp said: "Two days after Stanley had started inland he ( Camp ) was met by a civilised Arab from Tippoo Tib's company, to whom Stanley explained his future intentions. Stanley had stated that Emm Bey would join him and take 8,000 loads of ivory and 8,000 carriers to transport the effects of its expedition and that of Emm Bey out of the country, the routo being the caravan route between the Victoria Nyanza and the Tanganyika, and thence

east to Zanzibar, Emm Bay to go with Stanley and accompany him to Europe. " Liter on and after leaving the upper river, a report which seems to support that of the Arab reached mo, to the effect that when about to strike tho caravan load Stanley was notißecl by his soldiers one night while in camp that the Arab poople w ero preparing to attack him the following day and to rob him of the ivory. Stanley, according to a previous arrangement, stacked his ivory alternately with some resinous wood and burnt it, this being his lust resort trom falling into the hands, of the Arabs." This is the latest that has been heard from Stanley. Mr Camp returns in a" few months to resume his woik.