What might have been his fate had he not been succoured by Mr Stanley, who, as we are about to relate, at the head of the “New York Herald” expedition, so nobly and gallantly made his way across to find him, it is impossible to say.
Chapter Twenty Six.
Stanley’s expedition in search of Dr Livingstone.
Stanley sent out by Mr Bennett, of the “New York Herald”—Reaches Zanzibar—Dr Kirk—His white and native attendants—Bombay engaged—Boats prepared—Crosses to Bagomoyo—Jesuit mission—Finds caravan for relief of Livingstone detained—Difficulties to be surmounted—Porters abscond—Misconduct of white men—A strongly fortified town—Attacked by fever—Sends Farquhar sick to Mpwapwa, where he dies—Shaw fires at Stanley—Stanley’s cool conduct—Expedition enters Ugogo with Arab caravan—Heavy tribute demanded by Sultan of Mvumi—Donkeys die—Journey through jungle—Country laid waste by Arab slave-traders—Well received by Mkaswa—Livingstone caravan arrives—Prepares to start for Ujiji—Some of his men join Arabs in an attack on a town, and are defeated—Stanley and Shaw narrowly escape—Returns to Kivihara—The place threatened—Preparations for defence—Hears news of Livingstone—Receives present of a slave boy, Kiulu—Followers prove refractory—Sets out—Sends Shaw back—Narrow escape from a crocodile—Donkey seized by crocodile—Meet Caravan from Ujiji—More news of Livingstone—Threatened by Wahha—Pass village at night—Nearly discovered—Lake Tanganyika seen—Dr Livingstone found at last—Livingstone recovers—Character of Livingstone—Voyage on Lake Tanganyika—The Rusizi River—Livingstone and Stanley set off from Ujiji together—Journey to Mkaswa, and stay there—Livingstone remains, and Stanley proceeds to Zanzibar to fit out an expedition to assist him—Finds Kisalungo destroyed by a flood—Dreadful floods—Adventures on journey—Meets with the Livingstone relief expedition—It is disbanded—Disbands his own, and fits out a fresh one—Starts it off, and sails for England via the Seychelles—Noble liberality of Mr Bennett.
The spirited proprietor of the “New York Herald,” James Gordon Bennett, having become deeply interested in the fate of Dr Livingstone, determined to send out one of his special correspondents, Mr Henry M. Stanley, then at Madrid, to Africa, in search of the traveller.
Arriving in Paris, Stanley received his instructions, which were, first to ascertain in Egypt what Sir Samuel Baker—then about to start up the Nile—intended to do, and, after visiting a good many other places, to make his way via Bombay, Mauritius, and the Seychelles, to Zanzibar.
He carried out his instructions, and arrived in January, 1871, at Zanzibar, which he found to be a much more beautiful and fertile island than he had supposed.
He soon introduced himself to Dr Kirk, and, without delay, set about making the necessary preparations for his journey.