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
“In this manner,” says Stanley “we begin our long journey, full of
hopes. There is noise and laughter along the ranks, and a hum of gay
voices murmuring through the fields, as we rise and descend with the
waves of the land and wind the sinuosities of the path. Motion had
restored us all to a sense of satisfaction. We had an intensely bright
and fervid sun shining above us, the path was dry, hard, and admirably
fit for travel, and during the commencement of our first march nothing
could be conceived in better order than the lengthy, thin column about
to confront the wilderness.”
Stanley’s line of march strikes the valley of the Kingani River, and
thence to Kikoka, where he makes his first halt. Resting the next day,
he resumes the march on the third day for Rosako. This line is about
thirty miles north of the most northerly route of any of the routes
known to Stanley from the writings of other explorers. From Rosako he
marched to Congorida, thence to Mfuteh, and westward of Mfuteh along
the southern bank of the Wami some four miles. From this point his line
diverges to Rubuti, a village on the Lugumbwa Creek. “Grand and
impressive scenery meets the eye as we march to Makubika, the next
settlement,” says Stanley, “where we attain an altitude of 2675 feet
above the ocean. Peaks and knolls rise in all directions, for we are now
ascending to the eastern front of the Kaguru Mountains. The summits of
Ukamba are seen to the north, its slopes famous for the multitudes of
elephants. The mountain characteristically called the ‘Back of the Bow,’
has a small, clear lake near it, and remarkable peaks or mountain crests
break the sky-line on every side. Indeed, some parts of this great
mountain range abound in scenery both picturesque and sublime.
“Between Mamboya and Kitangeh I was much struck by the resemblance that
many of the scenes bear to others that I had seen in the Alleghanies.
Water is abundant, flowing clear as crystal from numerous sources. As we
neared eastern Kitangeh, villages were beheld dotted over every hill,
the inhabitants of which, so often frightened by the inroads of the
ever-marauding Wamasai, have been rendered very timid. Here, for the
first time, cattle were observed as we travelled westerly from Bagamoyo.
[Illustration: A GHASTLY MONUMENT.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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 — John Shaqi
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