In Darkest Africa, Vol. 1; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of EquatoriaStanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
History
In Darkest Africa, Vol. 1; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of Equatoria
Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Emin Pasha, 1840-1892
"On the fifth day, that is November 3rd, we reached the Arab camp,
and Nelson's relief was accomplished. He has already picked up
wonderfully in spite of the marching, but he cannot get sleep at
night and is still in a nervous and highly strung state; the rest
in the Arab camp will, I trust, set him up again. It is certain
that in his state of health he could not have followed us in our
wanderings in search of food, he must have fallen by the way.
"I am &c., &c.
"(Signed) A. J. Mounteney Jephson."
The following are the reports of Captain Nelson and Surgeon Parke.
"Arab Village, Ipoto,
"_6th November, 1887_,
"Dear Sir,
"Mr. Jephson arrived at my camp on the 29th October with the men
for the loads and with the food you sent for me. Many thanks for
the food, it was badly needed. He will tell you what state he found
me in and of the few men still alive.
"You left me on the 6th October last; on the morning of the 9th I
got up a canoe and sent Umari and thirteen of the best men I could
find (they were all very bad) over the river to look for food. On
the 8th Assani (No. 1 Company) came to me and said that he had
returned from the column sick. Same day Uledi's brother came into
camp, told me he had lost the road while looking for bananas, near
the camp, where we met the Manyuema. On the 10th I found that Juma,
one of Stairs' chiefs, had cleared in the night with ten men, and
stolen a canoe and gone down river. On the 11th I counted the men
and could only find seventeen (I had fifty-two the first day); the
rest had gone away either after the column or down river. On the
14th one man died. Umari returned with very few bananas, about
enough for two days; however, they were very welcome, as I had
nothing but herbs and fungi to eat up to this time. On the 15th
another man died, and I found that Saadi (No. 1.) with some other
men had come into camp in the night and stolen the canoe (Umari had
re-crossed the river in) and gone down river. On the 17th Umari
went away with twenty-one men to look for food; 19th, man died;
22nd, two men died; 23rd, man died; 29th, two men died; Jephson
arrived; 30th, one man died; we left camp on way here. Umari had
not returned; he, however, if alive, will come on here, I feel
sure, but how many men with him I cannot tell, perhaps five or six
may reach here with him. With the exception of the few bananas I
got from Umari I lived entirely on herbs, fungi, and a few mabengu.
I had ten ulcers on my left leg and foot and so was unable to look
for food myself and was kept alive entirely by my two boys and
little Baruk, one of my company, and Abdalla, a man Stairs left
with me. I was very weak when Jephson arrived. Now, however, I feel
a little better.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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