MR STAITLEY'S MISSION.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2802, 6 February 1878, Page 2

MR STAITLEY'S MISSION.

Lecture at Gape Town.

(Canttmwed from our last.)

.... We cut a road by qighl, and at sunrise we began to draw thecanbes orer into the second camp. That we did for 26 days—night and day relieving each other, my companion looking after the parties by night and I taking charge of the reliefs by day. In these 26 days we had gone 13 geographical miles,-and passed six cataracts. Then the rirer began to turn northwest, and goes on so to 2deg. lat. N. Then it bends with* mighty sweep towards the west, and goes in a course forming a zigiag line. Then at E. long. 23deg. it turns down to the south-west; the rirer by this time was from two to 10 miles wide. When we had reached long; 16deg. the lower series of cataracts began, 62 in number. We had already had 32 fights before we reached these cataracts, and we were fire months going from cataract to cataract, sometimes haul'ng our canoes up moun* tain steeps 2000 feet high, assisted; of course, by friendly natires. They were cannibals in long. 26deg., bat not in long. 16deg. 23de*., or 24deg. All this part was friendly. Here and there you might meet with a martial tribe, perhaps, which would attack you, but it is along long. 26°, till you begin to turn west, that the character of the people inspires terror in the minds of strangers. During the fire months we were getting orer the cataracts we lost a great many people, • good deal of property, and many canoes. As fast as we iost the latter we built new ones, whenever we could get the assistance), of friendly natires. Had it not been for this, we should never hare been able to get along. I negotiated with the rarious kings and chiefs for assistance, wbieh was readily given, and many of these people were most orderly and decently behaved. Very often they would not approach us till they were invited, and eren then they showed erery sign of deference and respect, rery different from the turbulent tribes of cannibals we had seen »rariously. In return for cloth and se/on. they gare us the help of 500 or OC3 mea to haul our canoes, and after passing orer 57 cataracts, losing ip mea by drowning, 13 canoes, a large quantity of irory, beads, cloth, and wire, we came to the place where Captain Tuckey left off in 1816. (Cheers). We had now travelled 6900 miles, and I had lost three white men and orer 250 natires. Our work had been rery hard, for it was an entirely new country. It is all rery well to pass along roads that are known. All you hare got to do is to conform to the customs and habits of the natires, end gire them presents. If you do that, you can past along; but among new tribes it is rery different. I can assure you that, on this map-and it will probably be the last part of Africa to be explored—there is a part close to Zanitbar which every expedition takes good care to arojd. It liejbptween Mombassaand Lake Victoria, and there lives thcro the ferocious tribe of the Wahomba. An expedition of 1000 men could go there and penetrate the countrr, but with an ordinary travelling expedition it would be impossible. Then there is the Somali country. I should like to let

what travellers would make of that. And there is another district which would tax the skill of the best explorer. From the north end of the Lake Tanganyika to the south end of Lake Albert JMyanza there is a pretty and very interesting district, but it is a country where you will have to Gght if you want to cx-

plore it. Here is another little district close to tho west coast, and yet in 200 years the Portuguese have been unable to explore it. Between St. Paul and a part called Ambries, a distance of only 60 miles, there is no communication by land, and yet it is Portuguese territory. There are martial as well as pacific tribes. So long as you go along tried roada, there is no difficulty at all. It is like paying your way at an hotel; but if you have no money at an hotel, what will you do then ? (Laughter.) Having made 6,900 miles from Zanzibar, I lilted my good little boat and all the canoes high on the rocks, and told the chief, " Now, I have done with these; take care of them. I will aend other white men.. lam going to cut across to Boma." After all our troubles and vicissitudes on the terrible river, wo still had other difficulties of another kind to surmount. Wo came among a people who had been in the habit of receiving rum dashes. If a merchant wants to get a

bargain out of the pcoplo or an advantage over bis brother merchant, he bribes them with rum. Captain Barton wanted to go from Boma as far as here, but he gave it up in despair on account of the ram demanded from him. Captain Tuckey makes a general wail on account of the rum drinking propensities of these people, and he lost 29 Europeans and 18 natives in three months. Well, I came

along with my expedition, and they were indeed surprised to see us. They would 'not believe we had come from the other sea; they would have it we had come from the westward. The chief refused to allow us to pass unless we gave him rum, and came and sat down in a big chair, with -the smaller chiefs round him, and put on all the dignity imaginable. I called my faithful TJlidi, the coxswain, and said to him, "Do you know what this man wants ? " He replied, " No, master." I said, "He wants rum." "That's

rum, 1' he said; and thereupon he tumbled the king over and all his dignity with him, and that settled the question. There was not another word said, good, bad, or indifferent, and the rum-drinking business was nipped in the bud by Ulidi, who ended the matter completely to my satisfaction. The old chief got up, rubbed bis cheek, and allowed us to pass along. Three days from Boma we got a little milder and and better treatment. I sent three of my best men to ask the merchants of Boma to give me rice and fish, as my people were dying. I also requested a little tea and a few biscuits. I told them if they did not

make haste I should have a great many

dead in s few days, and they thereupon started off with all speed. Very few. of ' my people believed they would ever see the white men ; they would not credit me when I told them how near we were to the sea; they were so hungry and weary, and in despair after their terrible journey. The children were worn away to nothing but. skin and bone, and everyone looked gaunt and poverty-stricken. We waited very anxiously for news from from Boma, for we were within 30 miles of jt, and one day, while my people were fitting down in despair, counting as it were the hours that must elapse before death put an end to their sufferings, one of the little boys sprang up and said, " Master, I see TJlidi coming j he is coming with lots of men carrying loads on their heads!" Everyone got up, for they were all prostrate on the ground a moment before, and their glee I am unable to describe. Then came the rice and the fish, and beads, and cloth, sugar, coffee, tea, and biscuits, and there was a special little bag for myself containing four or five* loaves of bread, three bottles of beer, one bottle of-champagne, one bottlo of claret, one bottle of port wine, and other nice little things. I distributed the rice plentifully to my people—we did not stop to measure out rations. Many of them were so hungry that they ate it raw. Tires were lighted, rice cooked and fish broiled. The cloth was distributed among the people, who were only too glad to discard their old worn-out rags that Had 'seen such service. After being worn on a travel of 6,900 miles they were indeed, venerable relics of Manchester manufacture. The old rags wero thrown off, and mightily pleased were these people when arrayed in. their new and gorgeous apparel. Meanwhile, I had my little treat to myself in my tent. I did not wait for a tumbler or corkscrew, but just knocked the neck off a bottle and tasted a little of the contents out of a tin pannikin, I was happy. I then looked anxiously at the champagne. I looked at the cork —it was tight, you! know. I must taste that, just to see if I have forgotten what it ia like. It tasted uncommonly nice, and I emptied the bottle. The next morning the drum and bugle sounded, and there was a regular brushing up, for today we were to lee the white men. You ought to have teen how nicely and carefully my men got themselves up, and how particular they were about their, dress; but they could not, poor fellows, hide their hollow-sunken cheeks and famine-stricken aspect. You would not have known them as the robust men who left Zanzibar in 1874. I said to them, " Now then, let us meet the white men." It was no laggard pace then. It was a regular striding, swinging pace, three knots an hour. When wo came Within three miles of Boma we saw. a string of hammocks, and in one of them was a magnificent white man, with ruddiness^about his complexion and general appe^ance as though ho had always been living on tbe.ftestof everything. Ifpund myself lgoMJhg at them very hard, for I fia'd almost forgotten what a white man wa9 like, and c3peciaUy in such fine dress. They wanted very much to give me a hammock. I said '• No," I don't want it; after walking 6,000 miles it would be . strange if I could not walk three miles.' 1 Presently we came to a steamer. The men crowded round to see the big " fire canoe," and asked where the paddles were, and whether the bis ean,op, was gojng \p be paddjetj right down to the ocean. f'No," I said, "the fire will do all that." Then the sailors came up, and my men began to sing a song of praise to the men who had the big fire canoe. After three days' rest they took mo down the Congo, and finally wo got down to Bqma,, tyid wpre brought to St. Paul de tjoanda in a Portugese nian-of-war. Her Majesty's ship lud'ustry took us on board, and brought us down to the Cape, where we had the pleasure of landing at Simon's Town, and this is how I was introduced to such an'intelligent and appreciative audience as there is here this evening. My story is told, ladies and gentlemen.

(Loud cheers.) I see so many eminent men around me here, who, I am sure, could far better keep you interested for two hours than I can ; but, ns it is, I have done what I could to please yen. All I ask of you is that you will credit me with tho desire of having tried to please you with a brief recital of the principal events of my last journey across Africa. Mr Stanley resumed his seat amidst every demonstration of enthusiasm and gratitude on the part of the crowded audience.