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 — John Shaqi
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
On the 16th of May the little caravan started off again, and after a
march of fifteen miles, camped at Matamombo, in a region where monkeys,
rhinoceros, steinboks and antelopes abounded. The next day's march
extended fifteen miles, and was through an almost impenetrable jungle.
Here he came upon the old Arab sheikh, Thani, who gave him the following
good advice: "Stop here two or three days, give your tired animals some
rest, and collect all the carriers you can; fill your insides with fresh
milk, sweet potatoes, beef, mutton, ghee, honey, beans, matama, madeira
nuts, and then, Inshalla! we shall go through Ugogo without stopping
anywhere." Stanley was sensible enough to take this advice. He at once
commenced on this certainly very prodigal bill of fare for Central
Africa. How it agreed with him after the short trial of a single day,
may be inferred from the following entry in his diary:
"Thank God! after fifty-seven days of living upon matama porridge and
tough goat, I have enjoyed with unctuous satisfaction a real breakfast
and a good dinner."
Here upon the Mpwapwa, he found a place to leave the Scotchman,
Farquhar, until he should be strong enough to join him at Unyanyembe.
But when he proposed this to the friendly chief, he would consent only
on the condition that he would leave one of his own men behind to take
care of him. This complicated matters, not only because he could not
well spare a man, but because it would be difficult to find one who
would consent to undertake this difficult task. This man, whom Stanley
had thought would be a reliable friend and a good companion in his long,
desolate marches, had turned out a burden and a nuisance. His wants were
almost endless, and instead of using the few words in the language of
the natives to make them known, he would use nothing but the strongest
Anglo-Saxon, and when he found he was not understood, would fall to
cursing in equally good round English oaths, and if the astonished
natives did not understand this, relapse into regular John Bull
sullenness. When, therefore, Stanley opened up the subject to Bombay,
the latter was horrified. He said the men had made a contract to go
through, not to stop by the way; and when Stanley, in despair, turned to
the men, they one and all refused absolutely to remain behind with the
cursing, unreasonable white man, one of them mimicking his absurd
conduct so completely, that Stanley himself could not help laughing. But
the man must be left behind, and somebody must take care of him; and so
Stanley had to use his authority, and notwithstanding all his
protestations and entreaties, Sako, the only one who could speak
English, was ordered to stay.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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