How I Found Livingstone by Henry M. Stanley (trending books to read .txt) 📕

“Well, it depends. You know your own orders best. If you have

come only to find and relieve him, I can tell you truly he is

found and relieved, and that he wants nothing more than a few

canned meats, and some other little things which I dare say you

have not got. I have his list in his own handwriting with me.

But his son must go anyhow, and I can get men easily enough for

him.”

“Well, if he is relieved, it is of no use my going.”

At this time in walked a slight, young, gentlemanly man, with

light complexion, light hair, dark, lustrous eyes, who was

introduced to me as Mr. Oswell Livingstone. The introduction was

hardly necessary, for in his features there was much of what were

the specialities of his father. There was an air of quiet

resolution about him, and in the greeting which he gave me he

exhibited rather a reticent character; but I attributed that to

a receptive nature, which augured well for the future.

“I was telling Lieut. Henn that, whether he goes or not, you must

go to your father, Mr. Livingstone.”

“Oh, I mean to go.”

“Yes, that’s right. I will furnish you with men and what stores

your father needs. My men will take you to Unyanyembe without

any difficulty. They know the road well, and that is a great

advantage. They know how to deal with the negro chiefs, and you

will have no need to trouble your head about them, but march.

The great thing that is required is speed. Your father will be

waiting for the things.”

“I will march them fast enough, if that is all.”

“Oh, they will be going up light, and they can easily make long

marches.”

It was settled, then. Henn made up his mind that, as the Doctor

had been relieved, he was not wanted; but, before formally

resigning, he intended to consult with Dr. Kirk, and for that

purpose he would cross over to Zanzibar the next day with the

`Herald’ Expedition.

At 2 A.M. I retired to sleep on a comfortable bed. There was a

great smell of newness about certain articles in the bedroom, such

as haversacks, knapsacks, portmanteaus, leather gun-cases, &c.

Evidently the new Expedition had some crudities about it; but a

journey into the interior would soon have lessened the stock of

superfluities, which all new men at first load themselves with.

Ah! what a sigh of relief was that I gave, as I threw myself

on my bed, at the thought that, “Thank God! my marching was

ended.”

CHAPTER XVI. VALEDICTORY.

At 5 P.M., on the 7th of May, 1872, the dhow which conveyed my

Expedition back to Zanzibar arrived in the harbor, and the men,

delighted to find themselves once more so near their homes, fired

volley after volley, the American flag was hoisted up, and we soon

saw the house-roofs and wharves lined with spectators, many of whom

were Europeans, with glasses levelled at us.

We drew ashore slowly; but a boat putting off to take us to land,

we stepped into it, and I was soon in presence of my friend

the Consul, who heartily welcomed me back to Zanzibar; and soon

after was introduced to the Rev. Charles New, who was but a day

or two previous to my arrival an important member of the English

Search Expedition—a small, slight man in appearance, who, though

he looked weakly, had a fund of energy or nervousness in him which

was almost too great for such a body. He also heartily congratulated

me.

After a bounteous dinner, to which I did justice in a manner that

astonished my new friends, Lieut. Dawson called to see me, and

said:

“Mr. Stanley, let me congratulate you, sir.”

Lieut. Dawson then went on to state how he envied me my success;

how I had “taken the wind out of his sails” (a nautical phrase

similar to that used by Lieut. Henn); how, when he heard from my

men that Dr. Livingstone had been found, he at once crossed over

from Bagamoyo to Zanzibar, and, after a short talk with Dr. Kirk,

at once resigned.

“But do you not think, Mr. Dawson, you have been rather too hasty

in tendering your resignation, from the more verbal report of my

men?”

“Perhaps,” said he; “but I heard that Mr. Webb had received a

letter from you, and that you and Livingstone had discovered that

the Rusizi ran into the lake—that you had the Doctor’s letters

and despatches with you.”

“Yes; but you acquired all this information from my men; you

have seen nothing yourself. You have therefore resigned before

you had personal evidence of the fact.”

“Well, Dr. Livingstone is relieved and found, as Mr. Henn tells

me, is he not?”

“Yes, that is true enough. He is well supplied; he only requires

a few little luxuries, which I am going to send him by an

expedition of fifty freemen. Dr. Livingstone is found and

relieved, most certainly; and I have all the letters and

despatches which he could possibly send to his friends.”

“But don’t you think I did perfectly right?”

“Hardly—though, perhaps, it would come to the same thing in

the end. Any more cloth and beads than he has already would

be an incumbrance. Still, you have your orders from the Royal

Geographical Society. I have not seen those yet, and I am not

prepared to judge what your best course would have been. But

I think you did wrong in resigning before you saw me; for then

you would have had, probably, a legitimate excuse for resigning.

I should have held on to the Expedition until I had consulted

with those who sent me; though, in such an event as this, the

order would be, perhaps, to `Come home.’”

“As it has turned out, though, don’t you think I did right?”

“Most certainly it would be useless for you to go to search for

and relieve Livingstone now, because he has already been sought,

found, and relieved; but perhaps you had other orders.”

“Only, if I went into the country, I was then to direct my

attention to exploration; but the primary object having been

forestalled by you, I am compelled to return home. The Admiralty

granted me leave of absence only for the search, and never said

anything about exploration.”

That evening I despatched a boy over to the English Consulate

with letters from the great traveller for Dr. Kirk and Mr. Oswell

Livingstone.

I was greeted warmly by the American and German residents,

who could not have shown warmer feeling than if Dr. Livingstone had

been a near and dear relation of their own. Capt. H. A. Fraser

and Dr. James Christie were also loud in their praises. It seems

that both of these gentlemen had attempted to despatch a private

expedition to the relief of their countryman, but through some

means it had failed. They had contributed the sum of $500 to

effect this laudable object; but the man to whom they had

entrusted its command had been engaged by another for a different

purpose, at a higher sum. But, instead of feeling annoyed that

I had performed what they had intended to do, they were among my

most enthusiastic admirers.

The next day I received a call from Dr. Kirk, who warmly

congratulated me upon my success. Bishop Tozer also came,

and thanked me for tie service I had rendered to Dr. Livingstone.

On this day I also discharged my men, and re-engaged twenty of

them to return to the “Great Master.” Bombay, though in the

interior he had scorned the idea of money rewards, and though he

had systematically, in my greatest need, endeavoured to baffle me

in every way, received, besides his pay, a present of $50, and

each man, according to his merits, from $20 to $50. For this was

a day to bury all animosities, and condone all offences. They,

poor people, had only acted according to their nature, and I

remembered that from Ujiji to the coast they had all behaved

admirably.

I saw I was terribly emaciated and changed when I presented myself

before a full-length mirror. All confirmed my opinion that I was

much older in my appearance, and that my hair had become grey.

Capt. Fraser had said, when I hailed him, “You have the advantage

of me, sir!” and until I mentioned my name he did not know me.

Even then he jocosely remarked that he believed that it was

another Tichborne affair. I was so different that identity was

almost lost, even during the short period of thirteen

months; that is, from March 23rd, 1871, to May 7th, 1872.

Lieut. Henn the morning after my arrival formally resigned, and

the Expedition was from this time in the hands of Mr. Oswell

Livingstone, who made up his mind to sell the stores, retaining

such as would be useful to his father.

After disbanding my Expedition, I set about preparing another,

according to Dr. Livingstone’s request. What the English

Expedition lacked I purchased out of the money advanced by Mr.

Oswell Livingstone. The guns, fifty in number, were also

furnished out of the stores of the English Expedition by him;

and so were the ammunition, the honga cloth, for the tribute

to the Wagogo, and the cloth for provisioning the force.

Mr. Livingstone worked hard in the interests of his father

and assisted me to the utmost of his ability. He delivered

over to me, to be packed up, `Nautical Almanacs’ for 1872, 1873,

1874; also a chronometer, which formerly belonged to Dr.

Livingstone. All these things, besides a journal, envelopes,

note-books, writing-paper, medicines, canned fruits and fish,

a little wine, some tea, cutlery and table ware, newspapers,

and private letters and despatches, were packed up in air-tight

tin boxes, as well as 100 lbs. of fine American flour, and some

boxes of soda biscuits.

Until the 19th of May it was understood that Mr. Oswell

Livingstone would take charge of the caravan to his father;

but about this date he changed his mind, and surprised me with

a note stating he had decided not to go to Unyanyembe, for

reasons he thought just and sufficient.

Under these circumstances, my duty was to follow out the

instructions of Dr. Livingstone, in procuring a good and

efficient leader to take charge of the caravan as far as

Unyanyembe.

In a few hours I succeeded in obtaining an Arab highly recommended

from Sheikh Hashid, whom I engaged at an advance of $100. The

young Arab, though not remarkably bright, seemed honest and able,

but I left his further employment after reaching Unyanyembe to Dr.

Livingstone, who would be able to decide then whether he was quite

trustworthy.

The next day I collected the men of the new Livingstone Expedition

together, and as it was dangerous to allow them to wander about the

city, I locked them up in a courtyard, and fed them there, until

every soul, fifty seven in number, answered to their names.

In the meantime, through the American Consul’s assistance, I

obtained the services of Johari, the chief dragoman of the

American Consulate, who was charged with the conduct of the party

across the inundated plain of the Kingani, and who was enjoined on

no account to return until the Expedition had started on its march

from the western bank of the Kingani River. Mr. Oswell Livingstone

generously paid him a douceur for the promise of doing

his work thoroughly.

A dhow having been brought to anchor before the American Consulate,

I then addressed my old companions, saying, “You are now