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The Albert N’Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile

And Explorations of the Nile Sources.

 

by Sir Samuel W. Baker, M.A., F.R.G.S.

 

Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society.

 

To Her Most Gracious Majesty

THE QUEEN

I dedicate, with Her permission,

THIS BOOK,

Containing the Story of the Discovery of the Great Lake

From which the NILE ultimately flows,

And which,

As connected so intimately,

As a NILE SOURCE, with the VICTORIA LAKE,

I have ventured to name

“THE ALBERT N’YANZA,”

In Memory of the Late Illustrious and Lamented

PRINCE CONSORT.

 

PREFACE.

 

In the history of the Nile there was a void: its Sources were a mystery.

The Ancients devoted much attention to this problem; but in vain. The

Emperor Nero sent an expedition under the command of two centurions, as

described by Seneca. Even Roman energy failed to break the spell that

guarded these secret fountains. The expedition sent by Mehemet Ali

Pasha, the celebrated Viceroy of Egypt, closed a long term of

unsuccessful search.

 

The work has now been accomplished. Three English parties, and only

three, have at various periods started upon this obscure mission: each

has gained its end.

 

Bruce won the source of the Blue Nile; Speke and Grant won the Victoria

source of the great White Nile; and I have been permitted to succeed in

completing the Nile Sources by the discovery of the great reservoir of

the equatorial waters, the ALBERT N’YANZA, from which the river issues

as the entire White Nile.

 

Having thus completed the work after nearly five years passed in Africa,

there still remains a task before me. I must take the reader of this

volume by the hand, and lead him step by step along my rough path from

the beginning to the end; through scorching deserts and thirsty sands;

through swamp, and jungle, and interminable morass; through

difficulties, fatigues, and sickness, until I bring him, faint with the

wearying journey, to that high cliff where the great prize shall burst

upon his view—from which he shall look down upon the vast ALBERT LAKE,

and drink with me from the Sources of the Nile!

 

I have written “HE!” How can I lead the more tender sex through dangers

and fatigues, and passages of savage life? A veil shall be thrown over

many scenes of brutality that I was forced to witness, but which I will

not force upon the reader; neither will I intrude anything that is not

actually necessary in the description of scenes that unfortunately must

be passed through in the journey now before us. Should anything offend

the sensitive mind, and suggest the unfitness of the situation for a

woman’s presence, I must beseech my fair readers to reflect, that the

pilgrim’s wife followed him, weary and footsore, through all his

difficulties, led, not by choice, but by devotion; and that in times of

misery and sickness her tender care saved his life and prospered the

expedition.

 

“O woman, in our hours of ease

Uncertain, coy, and hard to please,

And variable as the shade

By the light quivering aspen made;

When pain and anguish wring the brow,

A ministering angel thou!”

 

In the journey now before us I must request some exercise of patience

during geographical details that may be wearisome; at all events, I will

adhere to facts, and avoid theory as much as possible.

 

The Botanist will have ample opportunities of straying from our path to

examine plants with which I confess a limited acquaintance. The

Ethnologist shall have precisely the same experience that I enjoyed, and

he may either be enlightened or confounded. The Geologist will find

himself throughout the journey in Central Africa among primitive rocks.

The Naturalist will travel through a grass jungle that conceals much

that is difficult to obtain: both he and the Sportsman will, I trust,

accompany me on a future occasion through the “Nile tributaries from

Abyssinia,” which country is prolific in all that is interesting. The

Philanthropist,—what shall I promise to induce him to accompany me? I

will exhibit a picture of savage man precisely as he is; as I saw him;

and as I judged him, free from prejudice: painting also, in true

colours, a picture of the abomination that has been the curse of the

African race, the SLAVE TRADE; trusting that not only the

philanthropist, but every civilized being, will join in the endeavour to

erase that stain from disfigured human nature, and thus open the path

now closed to civilization and missionary enterprise. To the

Missionary,—that noble, self-exiled labourer toiling too often in a

barren field,—I must add the word of caution, “Wait”! There can be no

hope of success until the slave trade shall have ceased to exist.

 

The journey is long, the countries savage; there are no ancient

histories to charm the present with memories of the past; all is wild

and brutal, hard and unfeeling, devoid of that holy instinct instilled

by nature into the heart of man—the belief in a Supreme Being. In that

remote wilderness in Central Equatorial Africa are the Sources of the

Nile.

 

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I.

 

THE EXPEDITION.

 

Programme—Start from Cairo—Arrive at Berber—Plan of Exploration—

The River Atbara—Abyssinian Affluents—Character of Rivers—Causes

of Nile Inundations—Violence of the Rains—Arrival at Khartoum—

Description of Khartoum—Egyptian Authorities—Taxes—The Soudan—

Slave-Trade of the Soudan—Slave-Trade of the White Nile—System of

Operations—Inhuman Proceedings—Negro Allies—Revelations of

Slave-Trade—Distant Slave Markets—Prospects of the Expedition—

Difficulties at the Outset—Opposition of the Egyptian Authorities—

Preparations for Sailing—Johann Schmidt—Demand for Poll-Tax—

Collision before starting—Amiable Boy!—The Departure—The Boy Osman

—Banks of White Nile—Change in Disposition of Men—Character of the

River—Misery of Scene—River Vegetation—Ambatch Wood—Johann’s

Sickness—Uses of Fish-skin—Johann Dying—Johann’s Death—New Year

—Shillook Villages—The Sobat River—Its Character—Bahr Giraffe—

Bahr el Gazal—Observations—Corporal Richarn—Character of Bahr el

Gazal—Peculiarity of River Sobat—Tediousness of Voyage—Bull

Buffalo—Sali Achmet killed—His Burial—Ferocity of the Buffalo—

“The Clumsy” on the Styx—Current of White Nile—First View of Natives

—Joctian and his Wife—Charming Husband—Natron—Catch a

Hippopotamus—“Perhaps it was his Uncle”—Real Turtle is Mock

Hippopotamus—Richarn reduced to the Ranks—Arrival at the Zareeba—

Fish Spearing—The Kytch Tribe—White Ant Towers—Starvation in the

Kytch Country—Destitution of the Natives—The Bull of the Herd—Men

and Beasts in a bad Temper—Aboukooka—Austrian Mission Station—Sale

of the Mission-House—Melancholy Fate of Baron Harnier—The Aliab

Tribes—Tulmuli of Ashes—The Shir Tribe—The Lotus Harvest—Arrival

at Gondokoro—Discharge Cargo

 

CHAPTER II.

 

BAD RECEPTION AT GONDOKORO.

 

Reports of Speke and Grant—The Bari Tribe—Description of the Natives

—Effects of poisoned Arrows—Hostility of the Bari Tribe—Atrocities

of the Trading Parties—Lawlessness at Gondokoro-A Boy shot—The first

Mutiny—Decision of my Wife—The Khartoum Escort—Arrival of Speke

and Grant—Gladness at meeting them—Their Appearance—Speke and

Grant’s Discoveries—Another Lake reported to exist—Speke’s

Instructions—Arrange to explore the Luta N’zige—Scarcity at

Gondokoro—Speke and Grant depart to Khartoum

 

CHAPTER III.

 

GUN ACCIDENT.

 

Gun Accident—Birds ruin the Donkeys—Arrangement with Mahommed—His

Duplicity—Plot to obstruct my Advance—The Boy Saat—History of Saat

—First Introduction to Saat—Turned out by Mistake—Saat’s Character

—Something brewing—Mutiny of Escort—Preparation for the worst—

Disarm the Mutineers—Mahommed’s Desertion—Arrangement with Koorshid

Aga—The last Hope gone—Expedition ruined—Resolution to advance—

Richarn faithful—Bari Chief’s Report—Parley with Mutineers—

Conspiracy again—Night Visit of Fadeela—“Quid pro Quo”—“Adda,” the

Latooka—Arrange to start for Latooka—Threats of Koorshid’s People—

Determination to proceed—Start from Gondokoro—My own Guide.

 

CHAPTER IV.

 

FIRST NIGHT’S MARCH.

 

Bivouacking—Arrival at Belignan—Attempts at Conciliation—I shame

my Men—The March—Advantages of Donkeys—Advice for Travellers—

Want of Water—A forced March—Its Difficulties—Delays on the Road—

Cleverness of the Donkeys—Party dead-beat—Improvidence of Monkey—

We obtain Water—Native Tit-Bits—Surrounded by Natives—

Cross-Examination—Recognition of the Chief—Interest of Natives—The

Monkey Wallady—We leave Tollogo—The Ellyria Pass—A Race for

Ellyria—Ellyrian Villages palisaded—Outmarched by the Turks—

Ibrahim and his Men—Attempt at Reconciliation—Diplomacy—Peace

established—Arrive at Ellyria—Legge, the Chief of Ellyria—Presents

to Ibrahim—Legge’s Intemperance—Violent Storm—No Supplies—

Formation of Skulls.

 

CHAPTER V.

 

LEAVE ELLYRIA.

 

We leave Ellyria—Brutality towards the Women—Order of March—

Bellaal—Drainage towards the Sobat—Game at Wakkala—Delightful

Scenery—Latooka Thieves—Stalking Antelopes—Chase after Waterbuck—

Good Service of Rifle—The Turks’ Salute—Treacherous Welcome—

Mahommed Her—Quarrelling among the Traders—The Latooka Mutiny—

Settle the Ringleader—Stop the Mutiny—I pursue a Fugitive, and

interpose on his behalf—Held in some Estimation—Desertion of Men—

The Natives of Latooka—Their probable Origin—Tribes hard to

distinguish—Tarrangolle—Native Architecture—Exhumation of the Dead

—Coiffure of Natives—Hair Helmets of Latooka—Fighting Bracelets—

The Latooka Women—The Chief’s Introduction—“Moy” and his Ladies—

Bokke proposes to improve Mrs. Baker—Bokke and Daughter—Extraction

of the front Teeth—The Value of Wives—Cows of more value than Women

—Destruction of Mahommed Her’s People—Death of my Deserters—My

Prophecy realized—Apprehensive of an Attack—The Turks insult the

Women—Ill Conduct of the Turks—Well done, Bokke!—Results of the

Turks’ Misconduct—Interview with Commoro—Awkward Position—The

Latooka War Signal—Preparations for Defence—We await the Attack—

Parley—Too “wide awake”—Camp at Tarrangolle—Scarcity in view of

Plenty—Wild Duck Shooting—The Crested Crane, &c.—Adda’s Proposal—

Obtuseness of Natives—Degraded State of Natives.

 

CHAPTER VI.