484 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



Near the middle of October Stanley arrived at Mkwanga, 

 which is only eight miles from the confluence of the Luama and 

 the Lualaba rivers, the latter being the one that Stanley intended 

 to explore. While encamped here two Wangwana arrived with 

 the news that a party of Arabs were encamped at a village called 

 Mvvana Mamba, eighteen miles distant, and forthwith Stanley 

 decided to join them, which he did on the following day, meet- 

 ing with a very cordial welcome. The leader of the Arabs, 

 Tipo-Tib, l:id escorted Lieutenant Cameron across to Lualaba 

 river and as far as Utotera, south latitude 5 and east longitude 

 25 54'. He was dressed in clothes of spotless white, his waist 

 was encircled by a .rich dowle, his dagger was splendid with silver 

 filigree, and his head was adorned by a beautiful new fez, giving 

 him the air of a sultan or rich Arab gentleman. 



The reader will remember Livingstone's painful disappoint- 

 ment at being unable to procure canoes from the Manyuema in 

 which to explore the Lualaba river, even after he had saved many 

 of them from massacre at the hands of the blood-thirsty Arabs. 

 Stanley anticipated similar trouble, and also feared that he 

 would not be able to pass through their country with his small 

 force. He therefore made the Arab leader a liberal offer to 

 accompany him a certain distance toward the north with his 

 entire company. 



THE WONDERFUL DWARFS. 



TiPO-TiB listened respectfully to Stanley's proposition, and 

 then called in one of his officers who had been to the far north 

 along the river, requesting him to impart such information as he 

 possessed in regard to the people inhabiting the country. This 

 man told a marvelous tale, almost rivaling the wonderful crea- 

 tions of the Arabian Nights ; and Stanley subsequently learned 

 by his own experience that much of the st.ory was true. 



"The great river," said he, " goes always toward the north, 

 until it empties into the sea. We first reached Uregga, a forest 

 land, where there is nothing but woods, and woods, and woods, 

 for days and weeks and 'months. There was no end to the 

 woods. In a month wo reached Usongora Meno, and here we 



