284 STANLEY AND THE MAP OF AFRICA. 



and the boat liad to be lelt at Kilinga Lonj^a's witli Captain Nelson 

 and iSurj^eoii Taike. 



A halt of 13 dayis ar Ibwiri, with its plenty of fowls, bananas, corn, 

 yams, beans, restored everybody ; and 173 sleek and robust men set 

 out for the Albert Nyanza on November 24. A week later the gloomy 

 and dreaded forest suddenly ended; the oi)en country was reached ; 

 tilt' light of day was unobstructed; it was an emergence from darkness 

 to light. But the difficulties were not over; some little fighting with 

 the natives on the populous plateau was necessary before the lake could 

 be reached. On the 12th, the edge of the long slope from the Congo to 

 Lake Albert was attained, and suddenly the eyes of all were gladdened 

 by the sight of the lake lying some 3,000 feet almost sheer below. The 

 expedition itself stood at an altitude of 5,200 feet above the sea. But 

 the end was not yet. Down the expedition marched to the southwest 

 corner of the lake, where the Kakongo natives were unfriendly. No 

 Emin Pasha had been heard of; there was no sign even that he knew 

 of Stanley's coming or that the messenger from Zanzibar had reached 

 him. The only boat of the expedition was at Kilinga Longa's, 190 

 miles away. Of the men 94 were behind sick at Ugarowwa's and Ki- 

 linga Longa's ; only 173 were with Stanley ; 74 of the original 341 were 

 dead or missing; and, moreover, there was anxiety about the rear 

 column, 



Staidey's resolution was soon taken. Moving to the village of 

 Kavalli, some distance up the steep slope from the lake, the party 

 began a night march on December 15, and by January 7, they were 

 back at Ibwiri. Here Fort Bodo, famous in the records of the expedi- 

 tion, was built. The men were brought up from the rear, and on April 

 7, Stanley, with Jephson and Parke, once more led the expedition to 

 Lake Albert, this time with the boat and fresh stores. Meantime 

 Stanley himself was on the sick list for a month. This time all the 

 natives along the route were friendly and CAeu geneious, and on April 

 22, the expedition reached the chief Kavalli, who delivered to Stanley a 

 letter wrapped in American cloth. The note was from Emin and stated 

 that he had heard rumors of Stanley's presence in the district ; it 

 begged Staidey to wait until Emin could communicate with him. The 

 boat was launched and Jephson set ofl to find Emin. On the 29th, 

 the Khedive steamer came down the lake with Emin, the Italian Casati, 

 and Jephson on l)<)ard. The great object of the expedition seemed at 

 last to be all but fultilled. 



But the end was not y«^t. There was the party at Fort Bodo ; there 

 were the si(;k fuitlier l)ack, with whom Lieutenant Stairs had not re- 

 turned when Stanley lelt tlu^ fort ; and, above all, there was the rear 

 column left at Yambuya with Major Barttelot. It would take some 

 time for lOmin to bring down all his i)eople from Wadelai and other 

 stations. So after spending over 3 weeks with the vacillating lOniin, 

 Stanley, on May 25, was once more on the march back to Fort Bodo 



