494 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION 
CHAPTER XVII. 
Death of Frank Pocock. 
The momentous voyage went on, amid fighting and 
starvation, though now and again friendly tribes were met 
with. By this time, of Stanley’s three white companions 
only Frank Pocock was left. The great bend of the 
middle river had been passed, and the famous Stanley 
Pool navigated. The Expedition had got among the 
cataracts of the lower river in June, 1877. 
The fatal 3rd of June found us refreshed after our halt 
of seven days, and prepared to leave Mowa to proceed to 
Zinga, there to establish a new camp above its great cata- 
ract, while the canoes should be leisurely taken down with 
such caution as circumstances demanded. Kacheche and 
Wadi Rehani, the store-keeper, who, in the absence of 
Frank, were deputed to look after the land party, mus- 
tered their following at break of day, which consisted of 
such invalids as were able to travel by land, the women 
and children, and sixty men carrying the stores, tents, 
and equipments of the Expedition. 
Meanwhile, it was my duty to endeavour to reach 
Zinga — only two miles off by river, while the circuitous 
route by land was fully three miles — in advance of the 
land party, in order to prepare the aborigines for the 
reception of the Expedition. As I set out from Mowa 
Cove, Frank crawled on hands and knees to a rock over- 
looking the river to watch us depart, and the same feel- 
ing attracted Manwa Sera and the natives to the spot. 
Clinging close to the rock-lined shore, we rowed out of 
the cove, in full view of the river and all its terrors. 
For three-fourths of a mile to our left the river stormed 
down with long lines of brown billows. Arriving at 
Massesse Point, or the neck of the walled channel which 
