THE ROVAL BELGIAN EXPEDITIONS. 139 
purpose. The station, which consists of several wooden houses, numerous huts 
for the negro followers and a magazine for the goods, is situated on a deep bay 
near the village of Karema, which lies some ten to twelve days by boat south of 
Ujjiji, on a small promontory, elevated twenty feet above the lake. Ufipa is a 
fertile, well watered country, inhabited by quiet and friendly natives. It contains 
some coal beds, and seems fit for raising grain and wild rice. The Arabs also 
have a station near Karema, which consists of 150 grass huts, with 250 inhabit- 
ants. ‘The second expedition, undér Captain Popelin, after combining with No. 
3, commanded by M. Cartier, at Mpwapwa last August, pushed on to the west, 
passed through the Arab capital, Tabora, in October, and by the last accounts 
had just arrived at Karema. Of the eight Belgian explorers who originally 
started for Tanganyika only three have thus succeeded in reaching the lake— 
three died on the road and two were forced to return as invalids. Of the four 
Indian elephants with which Cartier left the coast two have died on the way, but 
the other two reached Karema in good condition. They are now entirely 
acclimated, and have proved of immense service to the expedition. When cross- 
ing the Mgunda-Mkali desert, carrying a load of twelve hundred weight each, 
they traveled consecutively for forty-two hours without food and thirty-five hours 
without water. In passing through the villages they naturally created great 
wonder and excitement among the natives, who only know the animal in its wild 
state. It is now proposed to establish a station near the lake for catching, taming 
and training the African elephant for transport service. For this purpose Mr. 
Sanderson, the noted elephant tamer, with a staff of experienced elephant catch- 
ers, will come from India to Zanzibar. While the expeditions now at Karema 
are solidly establishing themselves in that station, the basis of all future opera- 
tions, a fourth expediticn has organized at Zanzibar and started for the interior on 
January 25. Its leaders are two Belgians—Burdo, who has already ‘traveled on 
the Niger, and Roger, and an Englishman, Cathneade. ‘Their caravan is 150 
men strong, in light marching order, and takes along a number of donkeys asa 
new experiment in transport service, but the /se¢se fly will probably prove fatal to 
these animals. The expedition, which is expected to reach Karema in May, will 
pick up Dr. von Hemoel at Tabora, where he was left behind by the second 
expedition on account of ill health. After all these expeditions have assembled 
at Karema a fresh start will be made with a new expedition under Popelin, Cam- 
bier and Burdo, who will follow Cameron’s and Stanley’s road through Mamyu- 
ema to Nyangwe, the westernmost Arab trading post on the Lualaba Congo, 
where the second fixed station is to be established. Here they will await the 
arrival of Stanley’s expedition, which is at present engaged in pushing up the 
Congo from the west coast, as described further on. Ultimately a complete chain 
of stations is to be stretched across Africa from ocean to ocean. 
