Stanley's Story; Or, Through the Wilds of Africa: A Thrilling Narrative of His Remarkable Adventures, Terrible Experiences, Wonderful Discoveries and Amazing Achievements in the Dark ContinentFeather, A. G., Col.
History
Stanley's Story; Or, Through the Wilds of Africa: A Thrilling Narrative of His Remarkable Adventures, Terrible Experiences, Wonderful Discoveries and Amazing Achievements in the Dark Continent
Feather, A. G., Col.
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Livingstone, David, 1813-1873; Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904
“I know nothing that distinguishes the uncontaminated African from other
degraded peoples more than their entire reasonableness and good sense.
It is different after they have had wives, children, and relatives
kidnapped, but that is more than human nature, civilized or savage, can
bear. In the chase in question indiscriminate slaughter, capture, and
plunder took place. A very large number of very fine young men were
captured and secured in chains and wooden yokes.
“I came near the party of Syed Ben Habib, close to a point where a huge
rent in the Mountain of Rua allows the escape of the great river Lualaba
out of Lake Moora, and here I had for the first time an opportunity of
observing the difference between slaves and freemen made captive. When
fairly across the Lualaba, Syed Ben Habib thought his captives safe, and
got rid of the trouble of attending to and watching the chained gangs by
taking off both chains and yokes. All declared joy and a perfect
willingness to follow Syed to the end of the world or elsewhere, but
next morning twenty-two made clear of two mountains.
“Many more, seeing the broad Lualaba roll between them and the homes of
their infancy, lost all heart, and in three days eight of them died.
They had no complaint but pain in the heart, and they pointed out its
seat correctly, though many believe the heart situated underneath the
top of the sternum, or breast bone. This to me was the most startling
death I ever saw. They evidently die of broken-heartedness, and the
Arabs wondered, seeing they had plenty to eat.
“I saw others perish, particularly a very fine boy ten or twelve years
of age. When asked where he felt ill, he put his hand correctly and
exactly over the heart. He was kindly carried, and, as he breathed out
his soul, was laid gently on the side of the path. The captors are not
unusually cruel. They were callous. Slaving hardened their hearts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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