Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa: A Graphic Account of the Several Expeditions of Henry M. Stanley into the Heart of the Dark ContinentHeadley, Joel Tyler
History
Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa: A Graphic Account of the Several Expeditions of Henry M. Stanley into the Heart of the Dark Continent
Headley, Joel Tyler
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904
But this had taken so much time that night came on before the work could
be finished; the three wretched men were left therefore, to crouch on
the rock, and wait for the morning. All night long they held on to their
wild perch, while the water rushed, and boiled, and roared around them,
and the deep thunder of the cataract rose in one deep monotone over all,
so that they could not hear each other speak.
The next morning, early, the Arabs were set to work making more ropes,
which were finally hauled across, and fastened round the waist of each
man, and then, one by one, they leaped into the water and were drawn
safely ashore, amid the joyous shouts of the people.
They now set to work cutting a road three miles long through the woods.
Over this the canoes were hauled with great labor before the savages on
the farther side knew what was going on. But the moment the canoes were
afloat, the foe discovered them, and rushing forward with their canoes
the battle commenced. Stanley dashed through them, and sweeping down
stream for a mile, landed on the island where the tribe lived, and
quietly detaching twenty men, sent them to the villages, while he kept
the savages at bay. In a short time, the detachment returned, bringing
with them a crowd of women and children as prisoners, and a large herd
of sheep. The savages, when they saw these marching down to the
landing-place, were taken so completely aback, that they stopped
fighting at once, and withdrew to consult what was best to do in this
extraordinary turn of affairs. They sat in their canoes, waiting to see
their friends massacred. Negotiations for peace were soon opened and
concluded, and the ceremony of blood-brotherhood was gone through with,
the captives and herds were then surrendered up and friendly terms were
established.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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