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Through the Dark Continent or The Sources of the Nile Around the Great lakes of Equatorial Africa and Down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean (1878)
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
(in Volume 1) The hearty encouragement and liberal means which enabled me to perform the mission entrusted to me, of exploring the dark continent of Africa and solving many interesting geographical problems, and to fittingly reward the faithful survivors, induce me to make public my deep personal acknowledgments, by dedicating this work, which records its results, to the promoters of the enterprise, Mr. J. M. LEVY and Mr. EDWARD L. LAWSON, Proprietors of the 'Daily Telegraph,' and Mr. JAMES GORDON BENNETT, Proprietor of the 'New York Herald,' and in consequence of the great and constant interest manifested by him in the success of the undertaking, I must be permitted to add the name of Mr. EDWIN ARNOLD, C.S.I., and F.R.G.S. without the patronage, full confidence, and cordial sympathy of these gentlemen I should have been unable to accomplish the task now happily completed. H. M. STANLEY.
Eerste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
(Volume 1) While returning to England in April 1874 from Ashantee War, the news reached me that Livingstone was dead -- that his body was on its way to England!
(Volume 2) June.—The best view of Ujiji is to be obtained from the flat roof of one of the Arab tembés or houses.
Citaten
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
(Vol 1, p235) Having explored by water all the coast washed by the Victoria Nyanza and having since travelled on foot the entire distance between Nakaranga Cape and Buku Bay, I can state positively that there is but one outlet from the lake, viz. the Ripon Falls. There are three rivers, ... any of which seen by travellers journeying at a little distance from the lake, might be supposed by them to be outlets of Lake Victoria. The Nagombwa empties into the Victoria Nile not far from Urondogani ; the Zedziwa empties into the Victoria Nile near Urondogani, and the Mwerango flows into the Mianja, the Mianja flows into the Kafu, and the Kafu into the Victoria Nile, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Rionga's Island.
(Vol 1, p242) Naturally, where there is abundance of good digestible food, and the climate is agreeable, humanity of the respectable class will generally be found to be well clothed in flesh, be it in Uganda or in England, but it is somewhat unreasonable to state that the respectable class therefore considers superfluous rotundity to be an element of beauty.
(Vol 1, p376-378) From the 17th of January, 1875, up to the 7th of April, 1876, we had been engaged in tracing the extreme southern sources of the Nile, from the marshy plains and cultivated uplands where they are born, down to the mighty reservoir called the Victoria Nyanza. We had circumnavigated the entire expanse ... I have not ventured beyond the limits assigned to me, viz. the Exploration of the Southern Sources of the Nile, and the solution of the problem left unsolved by Speke and Grant — Is the Victoria Nyanza one lake, or does it consist of five lakes, as reported by Livingstone, Burton and others? This problem has been satisfactorily solved, and Speke has now the full glory of having discovered the largest inland sea on the continent of Africa, also, its principal affluent, as well as the outlet.
(Vol 1, p397) Zegi, swarming with a reckless number of lawless men, was not a comfortable place to dwell in. The conduct of these men was another curious illustration of how "small things make base men proud." Here were a number of youths suffering under that strange disease peculiar to vain youth in all lands which Murambo had called "big head." The manner in which they strutted about, their big looks and bold staring, their enormous feathered head-dresses and martial stride, were most offensive. Having adopted, from bravado, the name of Ruga-Ruga, they were compelled in honour to imitate the bandits' custom of smoking banghi (wild hemp), and my memory fails to remind me of any similar experience to the wild screaming and stormy sneezing, accompanied day and night by the monotonous droning of the one-string guitar (another accomplishment de rigueur with the complete bandit) and the hiccuping, snorting, and vocal extravagances which we had to bear in the village of Zegi.
(Vol 2, p72) From Mpungu we travelled through an interesting country (a distance of four miles), and suddenly from the crest of a low ridge saw the confluence of Luama with the majestic Lualaba. ... A secret rapture filled my soul as I gazed upon the majestic stream. The great mystery that for all these centuries Nature had kept hidden away from the world of science was waiting to be solved. For two hundred and twenty miles I had followed one of the sources of the Livingstone to the confluence, and now before me lay the superb river itself! My task was to follow it to the Ocean.
(Vol 2, p96) For the spelling of the name Tanga-nika, I still maintain that that (Tanganika) is the most correct, and that it is purer African than Tanga-ny-ika. Neither Arab, Mgwana nor aborigine of the interior ever approached such a sound. It is pronounced the same as Amerika, Afrika, Angel-ica, Freder-ica. I have only heard one name throughout Africa resembling that which I reject, and that was Ny-ika, king of Gambaragara, pronounced Nye-like.
(Vol 2, p99-103) The object of the desperate journey is to flash a torch of light across the western half of the Dark Continent. ... westward to the Atlantic Ocean along the same latitude are 956 miles — over 900 geographical miles of which are absolutely unknown. ... Overhead the wide-spreading branches, in many interlaced strata, each branch heavy with broad thick leaves, absolutely shut out the daylight. ... a poor beginning to the weeks upon weeks which we shall have to endure. ... The path , being over a clayey soil, is so slippery that every muscle is employed to assist our progress. The toes grasp the path, the head bears the load, the hand clears the obstructing bush, the elbow puts aside the sapling.
(Vol 2, p111-112) The most singular feature of Kampunzu village were two rows of skulls, ten feet apart, running along the entire length of the village, ... bleached, and glistening white from weather. ... they appeared to be human. ... "My friend, what are those things with which you adorn the street of your village?" He replied, "Nyama" (meat). "Nyama! Nyama of what?" ... It is about the size of this boy," ... He walks like a man, and goes about with a stick, with which he beats the the trees in the forest, and makes hideous noises. The Nyama eat our bananas, and we hunt them, kill them, and eat them."
(Vol 2, p140) Again and again the savages hurled themselves upon our stockade, launching spear after spear with deadly force into the camp, to be each time repulsed. Sometimes the muzzles of our guns almost touched their breasts. The shrieks, cries, shouts of encouragement, the rattling volleys of musketry, the booming war-horns, the yells and defiance of the combatants, the groans and screams of the women and children in the hospital camp, made together such a medley of hideous noises as can never be effaced from my memory. For two hours this desperate conflict lasted. ... now and again a vengeful poison-laden arrow flew by with an ominous whizz ... Sleep under such circumstances, was out of the question ; yet there were many weak, despairing souls whom even the fear of being eaten could not rouse to a sense of manliness and the necessity for resistance.
(Vol 2, p144) This was a period when every man felt that he must either fight or resign himself to the only other alternative, that of being heaved a headless corpse into the river. ... my followers were conspicuously distinguishing themselves, and were at last emerging from that low level of undeveloped manhood which is the general state of men untried and inexperienced. ... These last few days on the Livingstone river had been rapidly perfecting that compact band for the yet more dangerous times and periods to come.
(Vol 2, p151) ... here we are at an altidude of sixteen hundred and fifty feet above the sea. What conclusions can we arrive at? Either that this river penetrates a great distance north of the equator, and, taking a mighty sweep round, descends into the Congo — this, by the way, would lessen the chances of there being many cataracts in the river ; — or that we shall shortly see it in the neighbourhood of the Equator, take a direct cut towards the Congo, and precipitate itself, like our Colorado river, through a deep cañon, or down great cataracts ; or that it is either the Niger or the Nile. I believe it will prove to be the Congo ; if the Congo, then there must be many cataracts.
(Vol 2, p207-210) (1877) Jan. 31. ... An enormous breadth of river — on our right and on our left — separated us from either bank, but it was totally insufficient to win a free passage. We must either sacrifice a few men or women or children to their lust for human meat, or we must sacrifice a few cartridges. Fourteen canoes already lying in wait below Divari Island surprised us by their ferocious precipitancy, but we preferred to lose the cartridges, ... The river was evidently getting wider, ... The left bank was so far off that we obtained no view of it! ... At noon I observed the sun, and found we were in north latitude 0°50'17".
Laatste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
(Volume 1) The surf is still as restless, and the sun as bright ; the sky retains its glorious azure, and the palms all their beauty : but the grand old hero, whose presence once filled Ujiji with such absorbing interest for me, was gone!
(Volume 2) And thus, aided by their willing hands and by their loyal hearts, the Expedition had been successful, and the three great problems of the Dark Continent's geography had been fairly solved. Laus Deo!