Longingly they stretched out their arms to the beautiful country. All looked up with grateful hearts to the clear, blue sky and watched the setting of the sun as if enchanted. Then they turned and gazed at the dark forest they had just left, stretching away limitlessly to the west, and shook their fists at it. They were overcome by their sudden joy. They denounced it for its cruelty to them and their friends and compared it to hell. They mourned the death of hundreds of their companions and cursed it for its cruelty. But the great forest, stretching out like a continent, lying silently like some great animal, veiled in a blue mist, made no reply, but remained in its everlasting solitude, as unmerciful and cruel as ever. Chapter IX The Meeting at the Lake As we already know, Emin was aware of Stanley’s approach from the south of the lake and sailed in that direction. But as he found no trace of the expedition there, he sent a messenger to the locality where he must come, requesting Stanley to remain where the messenger found him and he would meet him there. Stanley had still many dangers to meet after he and his people left the forest, and had several encounters with the hostile dwellers near the lake, besides being short of supplies and food. But the day came at last when the Albert Lake was at their feet, far stretching as a world sea. On the twenty-ninth of April, 1888, Stanley observed a dark object upon the lake too large to be the canoe of a native and soon a cloud of smoke was visible. It must be Emin Pasha’s steamer! Messengers were sent to the shore and about eight in the evening Emin, accompanied by enthusiastic demonstrations and firing, advanced to the camp, in company with Captain Casati. At last the great event, looked forward to with such anticipation and for which so many sacrifices had been made, was realized. Emin and Stanley were together. Both had accomplished an unusual thing, the one by patient labor, and brave endurance, in an almost untenable position; the other by his energy and invincible determination to bring help where help was so urgently needed. [Illustration: _FIRST MEETING OF STANLEY AND EMIN PASHA_] Emin in his usual quiet manner said in excellent English: “I owe you a thousand thanks, Mr. Stanley, and I really do not know how to express them.” “Ah! you are Emin Pasha! Don’t mention thanks, but come in and sit down. It is so dark out here that we cannot see one another.”