Chapter I: Preface

With this volume the wanderings of the Boy Travellers in the Far East are brought to an end. Those enterprising and observant youths have arrived safely at home, in company with their companion and mentor, Doctor Bronson. They have seen and learned a great deal in their absence, and it has been the aim of the author to tell the story of their travels so that it would interest and instruct the school-mates and friends of Frank Bassett and Fred Bronson, together with others who have not the pleasure of their personal acquaintance.

The method followed in the preparation of the preceding volumes of the series of the Boy Travellers has been observed in the present book, as far as it was possible to do so. Though the author has visited several parts of Africa, he has never made a journey to the Equatorial Regions of the Dark Continent; consequently he has been placed under greater obligations to other writers than in his preceding works, and the personal experiences of Frank and Fred in Central Africa were not those of the compiler of the narrative. But he has endeavored to maintain the vividness of the story by the introduction of incidents drawn from many books of African travel and exploration; he has sought to confine fiction to the narrowest bounds, and to construct an account of travel and adventure that should be true in every respect save in the individual characters portrayed.

Many authorities have been consulted in the preparation of "The Boy Travellers in Central Africa," and while some have been freely drawn upon, others have been touched with a light hand. The incidents of the volume have been mainly taken from the works of African explorers of the last thirty years; a few are of older date, and some are from the stories of travellers not yet in print. During the preparation of the volume the author has been in correspondence with several gentlemen who have supplied him with information relative to the most recent explorations, and he has kept a watchful eye on the current news from the land under consideration. Though the wanderings of the Boy Travellers were confined to Central Africa, other portions of the continent were studied, as the reader will discover while perusing the following pages.

Many of the volumes consulted in the preparation of the book are named in the narrative, but circumstances made it inconvenient to refer to all. Among the volumes most freely used are the works of the following authors: Stanley's "Through the Dark Continent" and "Coomassie and Magdala;" Livingstone's "Travels and Researches in South Africa," "Expedition to the Zambesi," and "Last Journals;" Schweinfurth's "The Heart of Africa" (two volumes); Barth's "Discoveries in North and Central Africa" (three volumes); Speke's "Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile;" Burton's "The Lake Regions of Central Africa;" Long's "Central Africa;" Baker's "The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia" and "Ismailïa;" Reade's "Savage Africa;" Bourne's "African Discovery and Adventure" (two volumes); Wilson's "Western Africa;" Baldwin's "Hunting in South Africa;" Cumming's "A Hunter's Life in Africa;" Silver's "Hand-book to South Africa;" Cameron's "Across Africa;" Serpa-Pinto's "Comment J'ai Traversé L'Afrique" (two volumes); Du Chaillu's "Equatorial Africa," "Ashango Land," "Wild Life Under the Equator," "My Apingi Kingdom," and "Lost in the Jungle;" Anderson's "Lake Ngami;" and lastly, several authors whose narratives have appeared in _Le Tour du Monde_. The publishers have kindly allowed the use of illustrations which have appeared in previous volumes relating to the African continent, in addition to those specially prepared for this work. The maps in the front and rear covers were drawn from the best authorities, and are intended to embody all recent discoveries.

With this explanation of his methods, and the acknowledgment of his indebtedness to numerous explorers and writers, the author submits the adventures of Frank and Fred in Africa to the press and public that have so kindly received the narratives of the previous travels of those youths.

T. W. K.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY.--FROM CAIRO TO KOROSKO. 13

CHAPTER II.

LEAVING KOROSKO.--EARLY EXPLORERS OF THE NILE VALLEY. 25

CHAPTER III.

FROM KOROSKO TO ABOO HAMED.--THE NILE AGAIN.--ADVENTURE WITH A
CROCODILE. 37

CHAPTER IV.

BERBER AND SHENDY.--HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.--TERRIBLE REVENGE
OF AN ETHIOPIAN KING. 48

CHAPTER V.

LIFE IN KHARTOUM.--DEPARTURE FOR GONDOKORO. 61

CHAPTER VI.

AMONG THE SHILLOOK NEGROES.--ARRIVAL AT FASHODA.--EXPLORERS OF
THE NILE. 74

CHAPTER VII.

AN ANTELOPE HUNT.--GUINEA-WORMS, WHITE ANTS, AND GREAT SNAKES. 86

CHAPTER VIII.

THE DINKAS AND BARIS.--GONDOKORO.--ANNEXATION TO EGYPT. 99

CHAPTER IX.

AN ELEPHANT HUNT.--MARCHING SOUTHWARD FROM GONDOKORO. 116

CHAPTER X.

A FISHING EXCURSION.--ENCOUNTERING A HIPPOPOTAMUS.--THE COUNTRY
OF THE NYAM-NYAMS. 130

CHAPTER XI.

ARRIVAL AT AFUDDO.--DIVISION OF ROUTES.--FRANK'S DEPARTURE. 149

CHAPTER XII.

DEPARTURE OF THE TWO EXPEDITIONS.--IN THE SHOOLI
COUNTRY.--ATTACKED IN AN AMBUSCADE. 162

CHAPTER XIII.

FRANK ON A HUNTING EXCURSION.--DRIVING THE PLAIN WITH FIRE. 175

CHAPTER XIV.

ARRIVAL AT FATIKO.--THE MARCH CONTINUED.--FRANK'S ANTELOPE HUNT. 189

CHAPTER XV.

AN ELEPHANT HUNT.--CROSSING THE VICTORIA NILE.--ARRIVAL AT
FOUEIRA.--KING RIONGA AND HIS PEOPLE. 203

CHAPTER XVI.

THE ALBERT N'YANZA.--ACCOUNT OF ITS DISCOVERY.--INCIDENTS OF
THE FIRST DAY'S VOYAGE. 216

CHAPTER XVII.

A DAY ON AN ISLAND.--INCIDENTS OF HUNTING AND
FISHING.--LAKE-DWELLINGS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 228

CHAPTER XVIII.

DR. LIVINGSTONE AND HIS DISCOVERIES. 241

CHAPTER XIX.

FROM THE ALBERT N'YANZA TO FOUEIRA. 262

CHAPTER XX.

DEPART FROM FOUEIRA.--INTERVIEW WITH KING RIONGA.--THE PLATEAU
OF CENTRAL AFRICA.--EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER. 275

CHAPTER XXI.

TRAVELS OF DR. ROHLFS.--THE TSETSE-FLY.--THROUGH UNYORO. 293

CHAPTER XXII.

THE MARCH THROUGH UGUNDA.--ARRIVAL AT KING M'TESA'S PALACE. 306

CHAPTER XXIII.

CEREMONIES AT M'TESA'S COURT.--THE TELEPHONE IN AFRICA. 321

CHAPTER XXIV.

AT M'TESA'S COURT.--VISIT TO THE VICTORIA N'YANZA.--ASTONISHING
THE KING. 334

CHAPTER XXV.

AN EXCURSION ON THE VICTORIA N'YANZA. 349

CHAPTER XXVI.

RIPON FALLS.--THE OUTLET OF THE VICTORIA N'YANZA. 361

CHAPTER XXVII.

RETURN TO RUBAGA.--FAREWELL TO M'TESA.--VOYAGE DOWN THE
VICTORIA N'YANZA. 375

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE ALEXANDRA NILE.--FRED'S DESCRIPTION OF THE WEST COAST
OF AFRICA. 388

CHAPTER XXIX.

A DESCRIPTION OF SOUTH AFRICA.--ENGLISH COLONIES.--OSTRICH
FARMING. 404

CHAPTER XXX.

RESUMING THE MARCH.--MIRAMBO'S COUNTRY.--HUNTING
ZEBRAS.--DESCRIPTION OF THE SOKO. 418

CHAPTER XXXI.

TO MIRAMBO'S CAPITAL.--STANLEY'S WORK ON THE LIVINGSTONE. 431

CHAPTER XXXII.

UNYAMYEMBE.--AMONG THE ARABS.--MARCHING TOWARD THE COAST. 449