Chapter 4 Chapter Four

explorer to africa — Barthes, Richardson, Overweg, Werner, Bren Rolley, Penny, André de Bono, Miani, Guillaume Legean, Bruce, Krappf and Reb Mann, Maisan, Roschel, Burton, Spike The air route Dr. Ferguson intended to take was not chosen by chance, and the point of departure was carefully studied.His decision to lift off from Zanzibar was not without reason.The island is off the east coast of Africa, at the 6th degree south latitude.That is, 430 degrees below the equator.An expedition through the Great Lakes region to find the source of the Nile had just set out from the island. It is important to note, however, that Dr. Ferguson deliberately linked those expeditions, and in particular the two main ones: that of Dr. Barthes in 1849 and that of Captains Burton and Speke in 1858.

Dr. Barthes is from Hamburg.He and his compatriots were allowed to take part in the British expedition.The latter had a mission to go to Sudan.Sudan is a vast country located between 15° and 10° north latitude.That is, to get to the destination, one has to travel 1,500 miles deep into the African interior. Until then only Denham, Clapperton and Aldney had traveled to the area in 1822-1824.Richardson, Barthes, and Overweg were eager to push their investigation further.Like their predecessors, they first arrived in Tunisia, then left, and finally arrived in Murzouk, the capital of Fezzan. At this time, they gave up the route perpendicular to the equator, and headed westward around a sharp bend.Since the guides were Tuaregs, they encountered many difficulties.After suffering thousands of lootings, abuses, and armed attacks, their camel caravan finally reached the vast desert oasis of Aspen in October.There Dr. Barthes left his companions for a trip to the city, and then rejoined the expedition. On December 12, the expedition team set off again.When the procession reached Damaigu Province, the three travelers parted ways.Dr. Balter was on his way.Thanks to his perseverance and generous gifts again and again, he finally arrived at his destination.

In spite of a severe fever, Dr. Barthes left the city on the 7th of March, taking only one servant with him.The main purpose of his trip was to see Lake Chad, which at the time was still 350 miles away.He marched eastward to the city of Zulicoro.It was the core of Africa's great central empire.There, Dr. Balter learned that Richardson died of exhaustion and robbery.He moved on and arrived at the city of Kuka, the capital of Bornu, on the shores of Lake Chad.Three more weeks passed, and on April 14, after twelve and a half months away from Tripoli, Dr. Barter finally arrived in Ngonu City.

We know that Dr. Barthes set out with Orwerweg on March 29, 1851, to visit the kingdom south of Lake Chad.He has reached the city of Yola, which is slightly below the 9th parallel.This was as far south as the daring traveler went. Dr. Balter came to Kuka again in August.From there he went through Mandala, Baljimi, Kanem, and finally arrived at the city of Massena at 17° 20' west longitude, which was the furthest he went east. On November 25, 1852, his last traveling companion, Overweg, died.Thereafter, he went further west, visited, crossed the Niger River, and finally arrived.There, he had to endure abuse and suffering under the wanton abuse of the tribal chief, and spent eight long months.However, the presence of a Christian in the city is something the locals cannot tolerate for long.threatened to siege the city.Dr. Barthes had to flee the city on March 17, 1854, and came to the frontier.With nothing left, he stayed at the border for 33 days, came to Kano again in November, and then returned to Kuka.After waiting four months, he retook the path Denham had walked. Arrived in Tripoli around the end of August 1855.On September 6 of the same year, Dr. Barthes finally returned to London.He was the only one of his traveling companions who came back alive.This is the general situation of Barthes's adventure travel.

Dr. Ferguson noted carefully that Dr. Barthes stopped at the 4th degree north latitude and the 17th longitude west longitude.Now take a look at what Lieutenants Burton and Lieutenants Speke did in East Africa: Various expeditions up the Nile have never been able to reach the river's mysterious source.According to the narration of the German doctor Ferdinand Werner, the expedition he was part of had reached Gondokoro in 1840 between 4° and 5° north latitude with the help of Dr. In 1855, the Savoyard Brune Rolley was appointed Consul of Sardinia, Eastern Sudan, to replace the recently deceased Wardy.From the beginning of his journey, he used the pseudonym Yakube, a businessman who sold gum and ivory.He reached Belenia, above 4 degrees north latitude.He then returned to Karthum due to illness, where he died in 1857.

Dr. Penny, the head of the Egyptian Medical Service, took a small steamer to a place 1 degree lower than Gondokoro.He returned and died in Kartum from exhaustion.Miani the Venetian bypasses the waterfall below Gondocoro to the area of ​​the second line of latitude.Maltese wholesaler Andri de Bono goes further along the Nile.However, none of them could cross this insurmountable boundary. In 1859, Guillaume Lejean was entrusted by the French government to travel to Cartoum.He led a crew of 21 and 20 soldiers to set sail on the Nile.But he failed to pass Gondokoro, and took great risks sailing under the eyes of defiant negroes.An expedition led by Sir Deskella de Lodu also attempted to reach the true source of the Nile.

However, this fateful boundary always makes it difficult for travelers to cross.His messengers had been to 9 degrees north latitude in the past.In this way, in 18 centuries, people only moved forward by 35.6 degrees, that is to say, 300 to 360 geographical miles. Many travelers have also tried to find the source of the Nile from the east coast of Africa. From 1768 to 1772, the Scotsman Bruce set out from the port of Masua, passed through, and visited the ruins of Axum, in the end, without any major results. In 1844, Dr. Klapf, an Anglican missionary, established a charity in Mombaz on the Zanzibar coast.Together with the respected priest Leibman, he discovered two mountains 300 kilometers away from the seashore.This is Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.Mr. Hoygreen and Mr. Thornton had climbed part of both mountains not long ago.

In 1845, the Frenchman Maisang landed alone on the opposite side of Zanzibar Island, and arrived at Djelamola.There he was tortured to death by a chieftain. In August 1859, Roscher, a young traveler from Hamburg, set off with a camel caravan of Arab merchants.There he was killed in his sleep. Finally, in 1857 Lieutenants Burton and Speke, both officers of the Bengal Army, were sent by the Geographical Society of London to investigate the Great Lakes of Africa. On July 17, they left Zanzibar and headed directly west.Along the way, their luggage was robbed many times, and the porters were beaten many times. After enduring unprecedented suffering for four months, they walked to Kazekh, the center of the gathering of merchants and camel caravans, which is the Moon Mountain area.After collecting some valuable information on local customs, government, religion, flora and fauna there, they went on to Lake Tanganyika, the first lake in the Great Lakes region.The lake lies between 3° and 8° south latitude. They arrived there on February 14, 1858, and visited various tribes along the lake.Most of these tribes retain the custom of cannibalism.

They embarked on their journey home on May 26 and returned to Kazekh on June 20.There, a physically and mentally exhausted Burton became ill for several months.Taking advantage of this time, Speke marched more than 300 miles north, all the way to Lake Ukrewe.That day was August 3rd.However, he only saw the mouth of the lake at 2° 30' south latitude.Spike returned to Kazech on August 25.Later, he embarked on the journey to Zanzibar with Burton, who was recovering from a serious illness.They arrived there in March of the following year.The two brave explorers thus returned to England.The Geographical Society of Paris presented them with the Society's annual prize.

Dr. Ferguson noted in particular that Burton and Speke neither crossed the 2nd degree of south latitude nor the 29th degree of east longitude. The problem, therefore, was to combine the expeditions of Burton and Speke with those carried out by Dr. Barthes, that is, to proceed across a large area of ​​more than 12 degrees wide.

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