PREFACE. THE favourable reception accorded to the article entitled "Major Barttelot's Camp on the Aruhwimi" (in Blackwood's Magazine' for February 1889) by the press and the public generally, has encouraged me to write out the full narrative of how I first met the officers of Stanley's rear-guard, and the circumstances which led to my visit to Yambuya Camp, in the hope that it will prove of equal interest to my readers. As this volume is intended for the general public, who, while taking an interest in African affairs, do not care to wade through whole chapters of dry statistics, I have, when speaking of such matters as railways, &c., purposely introduced as few figures as I could, and then restricted myself, as far as possible, to round numbers. The Arabs occupy, in Central Africa, during the nineteenth century, very much the same position as the Spaniards did in South America and the West Indies during the seventeenth, and carry on the same atrocities. History has in this case once more strangely repeated herself; and the description given by Kingsley in Westward Ho!' of the journey of Amyas Leigh and his men over the Caraccas mountains and up the Orinoco, gives a very fair notion of the difficulties of Stanley's last journey. Stanley, however, had, if anything, a worse country to traverse; and his followers, being natives of the Dark Continent, only added to his perplexities. Times are changed since the days of Elizabeth, and men cannot go out against the Arabs as Queen Bess's buccaneers did against the Spaniards of old; but I hope that, before long, the Arabs will be taught, in one way or another, that the natives of Africa were not created solely for the gratification of their avarice and lust of gain. I have to acknowledge with thanks the kindness of Sir Walter B. Barttelot, Bart., C.B., and of Mrs Jameson, for allowing me the use of the photographs of Major Barttelot and Mr J. S. Jameson; also of Captain Coquilhat of the Belgian army, and Mr A. J. Wauters, of the Institut National de Géographie, Brussels, as well as of several other friends who have assisted me with the sketches and photographs utilised in my illustrations. I cannot conclude without expressing my sincere thanks to Mr William Blackwood, whose kindness to me, when I was still an entire stranger to him, in a distant land, I shall never forget. J. R. WERNER. April 20, 1889. CONTENTS. The Micawber business-The Sao Thomé-Down the Scheldt -Passengers for the Congo-Lisbon-Madeira-S. Vincent -Bolama-Principé-S. Thomé-Shooting excursion- The Congo State-Discovery of the Congo-Tuckey's expedi- tion, 1816-Livingstone discovers the Chambezi-Cameron at Nyangwé--Stanley's explorations-The "Association Internationale Africaine "-Stanley's two expeditions, 1879, 1884 Sir Frederick Goldsmid at Vivi-Sir Francis de Winton's governorship-Changes in the Administration- Departure from Banana-Porpoises-Boma-"La Chasse à |