Stanley in Africa: The Wonderful Discoveries and Thrilling Adventures of the Great African Explorer, and Other Travelers, Pioneers and MissionariesBoyd, James P. (James Penny)
History
Stanley in Africa: The Wonderful Discoveries and Thrilling Adventures of the Great African Explorer, and Other Travelers, Pioneers and Missionaries
Boyd, James P. (James Penny)
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904
At a point near the northeastern extremity of the lake Mr. Stanley was
induced to come close to shore by the friendly gestures of half-a-dozen
natives. As the boat was pulled nearer, the group on the shore rapidly
increased, and it was thought prudent to halt. Instantly there started
out of the jungle a forest of spears, and a crowd of yelling savages
rushed down in hot haste to the margin, lest their hospitable intentions
towards the strangers should be balked. The boat, however, to the
astonishment of these primitive black men, hoisted a great sail to the
favoring land breeze, which carried it out to an island where the crew
could camp and sleep in safety for the night. A little further on, while
off the island of Ugamba, a large native canoe, manned by forty rowers
and adorned with a waving mane of long grasses, was pulled confidently
towards the mysterious craft. After reconnoitering it for a little,
they edged up alongside, half of the occupants of the canoe standing up
and brandishing their tufted spears. These visitors had been drinking
freely of pombe to keep up their courage. They were noisy, impudent, and
obstreperous; and finding that the white man and his companions remained
quiet and patient, they began to reel tipsily about the boat, shout out
their drunken choruses, and freely handle the property and persons of the
strangers. Gradually they grew still more unpleasantly aggressive. One
drunken rascal whirled his sling over Stanley’s head and, cheered by
his companions, seemed about to aim the stone at the white man. Suddenly
Stanley, who had his revolver ready in his hand, fired a shot into the
water. In an instant the boat was clear of the intruders, every one of
whom had plunged into the water at sound of the pistol, and was swimming
lustily for the shore. With some little trouble their fears were allayed
and the humbled roisterers, sobered by their dip, came meekly back for
their abandoned canoe. Presents were exchanged and all parted good
friends.
He did not fare so well with the Wavuma tribe. They attracted Stanley’s
attention by sending out a canoe loaded with provisions and gifts. But
shoreward suddenly appeared a whole fleet of canoes, evidently bent on
surrounding the “Lady Alice.” As her crew bent to their oars in order
to escape, a storm of lances came upon them from the first canoe, whose
captain held up a string of beads in a tantalizing manner which he had
stolen from the white man’s boat. Stanley fired upon him and doubled him
up in his boat. Then using his larger rifle he punctured the foremost of
the other canoes with heavy bullets below the water line, so that they
had enough to do to keep them from sinking. They ceased to give chase and
the “Lady Alice” escaped.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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