54 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. X. No. 234 



EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL. 

 Junker's Travels in Central Africa. 

 Junker's lectures delivered before the Berlin and London Geo- 

 graphical Societies have appeared almost simultaneously, and con- 

 tain interesting details on the traveller's experience in Central 

 Africa. Junker entered this region in 1879, travelling from Suez to 

 Suakim, and thence to Berber. From Berber a steamer conveyed 

 him to Khartum, v\'here he arrived in the beginning of January, 

 1880. It was his intention to explore the regions on the Welle, 

 and to follow that stream as far as possible to the west. His plan 



the Egyptian Bar-el-Gasal Province. He had formerly prohibited 

 the passage of the ivory-caravans through his country, and would 

 suffer no station to be established in the districts under his sway. 

 Adopting a plan followed in all subsequent journeys. Junker sent 

 messengers forward to Ndoruma to give him particulars about his 

 intentions, and to announce that Junker travelled without military 

 escort. This plan proved very successful, and enabled Junker to 

 live generally on good terms with the rulers of the countries through 

 which he travelled. His success shows that in Africa as well as in 

 all other countries the traveller who is willing to adopt the mode of 



MAP SHOWING JUNKER'S EXPLORATIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. 



was to start from Lado, but this was made impossible by the grass 

 barriers which had closed the Nile for months. Therefore he took 

 a steamer going up the Bar-el-Gasal, and arrived at Meshra-er-Rek 

 in February. Here the land-journey began, and, in company with 

 Gessi Pacha, he travelled by way of Jur Ghattas, Wau, and Dem 

 Idris to Dem Suleiman, the head station of the Bar-el-Gasal 

 Province. After a short stay at that place, he turned south to Dem 

 Bekir, where his real work of exploration began. His first object 

 was the exploration of Ndoruma's territory, which is situated on 

 the watershed between the Bar-el-Gasal and the Welle. Ndoruma, 

 a powerful Niam-Niam chief, had been at war with the troops of 



life, and to accommodate himself to the way of thinking, of the 

 natives, will accomplish his plans with comparative safety, and will 

 glean ample results. Subsequently Junker made his headquarters 

 in the village of a chief whose confidence he had gained, and made 

 excursions from these stations. This makes his routes very trust- 

 worthy, most of them leading back to the starting-point. After 

 having seen Ndoruma and gained his confidence. Junker started 

 from Dem Bekir in May, 1880, with two hundred and fifty bearers, 

 and in a fortnight reached the huts of Ndoruma. On his way he 

 crossed many tributaries of the Mbomo, and found in their valleys 

 a luxuriant vegetation which more to the east does not occur till 



