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
Leaving to the ensuing chapter the notes of the homeward voyage of the
party who bore Dr. Livingstone’s remains to England, we cannot better
close this chapter than by copying an interesting letter from Mr.
Holmwood, the British Vice-Consul at Zanzibar, to Sir Bartle Frere, then
the President of the Royal Geographical Society. We have already given
the substance of the information, as detailed by Jacob Wainwright, but
the letter is interesting enough to justify its insertion,
notwithstanding the repetitions and occasional apparent discrepancies.
“ZANZIBAR, March 12, 1874.
“MY DEAR SIR BARTLE--No doubt you will hear from several interested in
Dr. Livingstone; but, as I do not feel sure that any one has
thoroughly examined the men who came down with his remains, I briefly
summarize what I have been able to glean from a careful
cross-examination of Majwara, who was always at his side during his
last days, and Susi, as well as the Nassick boys, have generally
confirmed what he says. I inclose a small sketch-map, merely giving my
idea of the locality, and have added a dotted line to show his route
during this last journey of his life.
“The party sent by Stanley left Unyanyembe with the Doctor about the
end of August, 1872, and marched straight to the south of Lake
Tanganyika, through Ufipa, crossing the Rungwa River, where they met
with natural springs of boiling water, bubbling up high above the
ground. On reaching the Chambezi or Kambezi River, they crossed it
about a week’s journey from Lake Bemba, also crossing a large feeder;
but by Susi’s advice Livingstone again turned northward, and recrossed
the Kambezi, or Luapula, as he then called it, just before it entered
the lake.
“He could not, however, keep close to the north shore of Lake Bemba,
owing to the numerous creeks and streams, which were hidden in forests
of high grass and rushes. After making a detour, he again struck the
lake, at a village where he got canoes across to an island in the
centre, called Matipa. Here the shores on either hand were not
visible, and the Doctor was put to great straits by the natives
declining to let him use their canoes to cross to the opposite shore.
He therefore seized seven canoes by force, and when the natives made a
show of resistance he fired his pistol over their heads, after which
they ceased to obstruct him. Crossing the lake diagonally, he arrived
in a long valley; and the rains having now set in fully, the caravan
had to wade rather than walk, constantly crossing blind streams, and,
in fact, owing to the high rushes and grass, hardly being able to
distinguish at times the land, or rather what was generally dry land,
from the lake.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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