CHAPTER XXXVII 
Stanley’s Journey Through Africa 
T HE death of Livingstone, the faithfulness of his African ser¬ 
vants in carrying his mortal remains across hundreds of miles 
of the savage interior to the sea-coast, and the subsequent 
solemn interment at Westminster Abbey, roused public interest in 
Africa and its still undiscovered regions to the pitch of fever heat. 
Never had such an outburst of missionary zeal been known, never did 
the cause of geographical exploration receive such an impetus. Small 
wonder was it that Stanley, who helped to carry the remains of David 
Livingstone to their last resting place, registered a vow to unravel the 
mysteries of the Lualaba River, and clear up the doubts which existed 
as to the number, position, and extent of the great lakes; small wonder 
was it that those who should bear the expense of an undertaking of 
such magnitude came forward without delay. 
Stanley had meanwhile accompanied the British arms into Ash¬ 
anti, a country on the gold coast of western Africa, and served the 
New York Herald with signal efficiency as war correspondent in the 
defeat of the King, Coffiee Calcali, and the capture of his capital city, 
Coomassie. He was now ready to renew his explorations of central 
Africa. 
As with the first, so with his second expedition into Africa, news¬ 
paper enterprise and munificence supplied the “sinews of war,” the 
indispensable financial support. At the invitation of the proprietors of 
the Daily Telegraph, Mr. Bennett of the New York Herald consented 
to share with the great English “Daily” the expenses of an expedition 
into Central Africa. Stanley was to be in command, and his com¬ 
mission was sufficiently ample for a man of even his calibre. He was 
to clear up all uncertainties about the lake region, to follow the course 
of Livingstone’s Lualaba wheresoever it might lead, and to investigate 
the slave trade, tracing its sphere and influence throughout Central 
Africa. He was moreover to represent the two great English-speak- 
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