ide the woods blazed a blinding sunshine; underneath that immense
roof-foliage was a solemn twilight. The trees shed continual showers
of tropic dew. As we struggled on through the mud, the perspiration
exuded from every pore; our clothes were soon wet and heavy. Every
man had to crawl and scramble as he best could. Sometimes prostrate
forest-giants barred the road with a mountain of twigs and branches.
For ten days we endured it; then the Arabs declared they could go no
farther. I promised them five hundred pounds if they would escort us
twenty marches only. On our way to the river we came to a village whose
sole street was adorned with one hundred and eighty-six human skulls.
Seventeen days from Nyangwe we saw again the great river and, viewing
the stately breadth of the mighty stream, I resolved to launch my boat
for the last time. Placing thirty-six of the people in the boat, we
floated down the river close to the bank along which the land-party
marched. Day after day passed on and we found the natives increasing
in wild rancour and unreasoning hate of strangers. At every curve and
bend they 'telephoned' along the river warning signals; their huge
wooden drums sounded the muster for fierce resistance; reed arrows
tipped with poison were shot at us from the jungle as we glided by.
On the 18th of December our miseries culminated in a grand effort of
the savages to annihilate us. The cannibals had manned the topmost
branches of the trees above the village of Vinya Njara to shoot at
us."

A camp was hastily constructed by Stanley in defence, and for several
days there was desperate fighting, at the end of which peace was made.
But Tippu-Tib and his escort refused to go a step farther to what they
felt was certain destruction. Stanley alone was determined to proceed.
He bought thirty-three native canoes and, leading with the _Lady
Alice_, he set his face towards the unknown country. His men were all
sobbing. They leant forward, bowed with grief and heavy hearts at the
prospect before them. Dense woods covered both banks and islands.
Savages with gaily feathered heads and painted faces dashed out of
the woods armed with shields and spears, shouting, "Meat! meat! Ha!
ha! We shall have plenty of meat!"

"Armies of parrots screamed overhead as they flew across the river;
legions of monkeys and howling baboons alarmed the solitudes;
crocodiles haunted the sandy points; hippopotami grunted at our
approach; elephants stood by