Some Heroes of Travel: or, Chapters from the History of Geographical Discovery and EnterpriseAdams, W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport)
History
Some Heroes of Travel: or, Chapters from the History of Geographical Discovery and Enterprise
Adams, W. H. Davenport (William Henry Davenport)
Discoveries in geography; Explorers
When the repairs of her vessel were completed, Alexina Tinné returned to
Gebel Hunaya. She was received with shouts of joy, and with a salute of
several pieces of artillery, which awakened the greatest trepidation
among the natives. Some few incidents had occurred during her absence,
but none of a very notable character. One morning, Alexina was reading
at a short distance from the camp. Feeling thirsty, she turned towards a
rivulet which sparkled among the herbage close at hand; but as she
approached it, the dog which accompanied her barked loudly with affright,
and showed a manifest unwillingness to draw nearer to the rocks impending
over the stream. Accepting this intimation of danger, Alexina stepped
forward very cautiously, and soon discovered a young panther lurking
behind the rugged boulders. She had the presence of mind to stand
perfectly still, while she summoned her soldiers and servants to her
assistance. They speedily came up, and, drawing a cordon round the
animal, succeeded in capturing it alive. On another occasion, her men
killed, before her eyes, a huge crocodile, which was duly stuffed as a
trophy. They also caught a great ape, whose head was covered with long
hair, mixed black and white. The animal would have been a valuable
specimen of the African fauna, but, unfortunately, it died within a few
months of its capture.
On the 7th of July, the steamer, which was heavily loaded and towed two
boats, left Hunaya, to continue its course up the river. Between Hunaya
and the confluence of the Bahr-el-Ghazal (the Gazelle river) the scenery
is far from being attractive; the river banks are arid, and sunburnt.
Here and there, however, grow clumps of whispering reeds and aquatic
plants; while, at other points, the river overflows its limits for two or
three thousand yards, creating, on each side, an inaccessible swamp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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