GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY. 



295 



a paludal morass formed by the floods of the 

 Coango, which submerged the savanna on the 

 left of the river as far as the eye could see, 

 and admonished by the signs of approaching 

 sickness, they returned to Cassange, to seek an- 

 other route to the north along the Tala-Mogon- 

 go mountains, through the territory of Tembo 

 Aluma or that of Munene. They crossed the 

 valley of the Lui, which was likewise inundated, 

 by a westerly route, and then turned north- 

 ward, and reached the Coango at the village of 

 Tembo Aluma near the last cataract, the Suco- 

 ia-Muquita. They were forced to turn back 

 again. From Malange they made another at- 

 tempt to advance to the north. The eastern 

 slope of the Tala-Mogongo drains into the 

 Hauiba, one of the most important of the Co- 

 ango's tributaries. Through the districts of 

 Pacassa Aquiboada, Dongo, and Danje, they 

 came to the domain of the chief Mafachilla, in 

 the Ilungo country, who received them hos- 

 pitably at first, but afterward drove them to 

 flight by threatening to rob them of all they 

 had. They were unable to advance farther to 

 the north than the point where the lake Aqui- 

 londa or Chilande is located on the newer maps. 

 No such lake exists in this region. In its place 

 is an extensive marshy plain, studded with sev- 

 eral lakes, large and small. In this journey 

 the explorers discovered a large number of 

 rivers flowing into the Coango which were be- 

 fore unknown. The most important of these 

 are the Hamba and its affluent, the Cuilla, 

 and the Cugho with its affluent, the Caoali. 

 The country farther north is entirely uninhab- 

 ited, destitute of water during the hot season, 

 and covered with an impervious forest, which 

 they several times vainly essayed to penetrate. 

 They then crossed to the Atlantic watershed, 

 making for Duque de Braganza in a south- 

 southwesterly direction, determining on the way 

 the water-parting between the Coango and the 

 Coanza systems, and discovering the sources 

 of the Sussa and the Caoali-Luemba. Their 

 route passed through an exceedingly fertile re- 

 gion, with as salubrious a climate as any in 

 Western Africa. The margins of the rivers are 

 covered with an exuberant vegetation. Much 

 of the land is covered with large and profitable 

 plantations of sugar-cane, tobacco, cotton, ma- 

 nioc, rice, etc. The country is also exceedingly 

 rich in game. In Duque de Braganza they lost 

 a part of their note-books and journals, through 

 a fire kindled to destroy an army of ants. They 

 then made their way to Ambaca and the inter- 

 esting mountain-mass of Pungo Adongo, from 

 which they took another excursion to Malange, 

 for the astronomical location of Quibanda, where 

 the Coanza makes a great S-curve. Returning 

 to Pungo Adongo, they descended to Dondo 

 and took the steamer for Saint Paul de Loanda, 

 where they arrived October 5, 1879. In the 

 six hundred days which their expedition con- 

 sumed, the Portuguese explorers traveled over 

 2,620 miles of mostly unexplored territory. 

 Among the more important places whose geo- 



graphical position and elevation were deter- 

 mined were the crossing of the Coanza in 10 

 52' 30" south latitude, 17 38' east longitude, 

 where the elevation is 1,258'4 metres ; the vil- 

 lage of N'dumba Attembo, 11 20' 51" south 

 latitude, 18 50' east longitude, elevation 1, 326-4 

 metres ; Cassange, 9 35' 6" south latitude, 17 

 57' 37" east longitude, elevation 990 metres ; 

 pass of the Tala-Mogongo, 9 14' south latitude, 

 17 8' 30" east longitude, elevation 720 metres ; 

 Malange, 9 30' 30" south latitude, 16 25' 30" 

 east longitude, elevation 1080'2 metres. 



The reawakened zest which is displayed in 

 recent African exploration is due as much to 

 the munificent initiative of King Leopold of 

 Belgium in founding the International Asso- 

 ciation for the Exploration of Africa, which 

 was started in 1876, as to any other cause. 

 The many national and other expeditions which 

 have entered the dark continent from every 

 side, and which have kept cartographers busy 

 in filling out and rectifying the maps, and the 

 interest in geographical studies manifested by 

 missionaries, and even by traders, in the in- 

 terior of Africa, date from the establishment 

 of the International Association. Yet the ef- 

 forts of that society, though admirably planned, 

 intrusted in competent hands, and supported 

 by abundant means, have met with nothing 

 but disaster. Captain Crespel, the leader, and 

 Dr. Maes, the naturalist, of the first expedition 

 died in Zanzibar in 1878 ; and Cambier and 

 Marno, who, after the successful experiment of 

 the missionary Price, attempted to transport 

 their goods as far as Mpwapwa in ox-carts, were 

 obliged to return. In June, the reorganized ex- 

 pedition, composed of Cambier, "Wautier, and 

 Dr. Dutrieux, started out. On the Mwomero 

 the porters deserted and robbed them of the 

 best part of their baggage. Cambier pushed 

 forward, while the others remained to look 

 after the transport of the remaining effects. 

 To escape Mirambo, who had been playing a 

 treacherous part, having been accessory to the 

 murder of the missionary Penrose, Cambier 

 changed his destination to Karema, instead of 

 Ujiji. Wautier died, and Dutrieux returned sick 

 to Europe. Continued difficulties and delays 

 prevented Cambier from reaching Lake Tan- 

 ganyika before August, 1879; and when he 

 had brought up all his baggage, September 15th, 

 he set to work to build the first station of the 

 Association at Karema. Owing to the untrust- 

 worthiness of the porters, Cambier had been 

 over a year in reaching Karema from Baga- 

 mayo. Oxen and asses had both failed, and 

 as some different method of transportation 

 from the worthless porter-system was demand- 

 ed, King Leopold determined to employ trained 

 Indian elephants, a means of transportation 

 which had been recommended by Dr. Peter- 

 mann for the Loango expedition, and which 

 had already been successfully tried by Colonel 

 Gordon on the Nile, between Lado and Dufile". 

 It was proved by his experiment that they can 

 feed and keep in good condition on the indige- 



