IN T RO D U C T IO N
administration,- and that France had no claims to any
portion of Africa that he visited. Thé journey grew to
such a length solely through trifling circumstances.
Frequently he was tempted to return through illness,
or finding himself at advantageous points for easily reaching
the coast, but again and again he was. led to turn
his face away from the sea—and so he continued his
wanderings until finally he reached Uganda, Whence,
after a time, failing health obliged him to make: his
way to Mombasa.
Despite the necessity of paying due regard to the
principal objects of-his-mission, it is too clear that Mr.
Decle was possessed with an innate love of adventure,
as well as a very laudable curiosity to see as much of
Africa as possible. South Africa was attracting public
attention at that period by its treasures -@f diamonds
and gold, and its politics as represented by the names
of Rhodes and Kruger. It is rather significant òf the
effect of his political studies that the record of his], travels
is dedicated to Mr. Rhodes- “ as a tribute of admiration
and gratitude to the most creative of statesmen, and the
most generous of men.” The dedication fitly includes the
chief reasons for the esteem with which all South Africans
regard Mr. Rhodes, since there is no doubt that his munificence
as evinced at Cape Town, Kimbërley, Johannesburg,
Bulawayo, and Salisbury, and to numberless individuals,
has stirred the hearts of the. people as much as his bold
and successful projects for aggrandizing the empire have
won their admiration.
When Mr. Decle commenced his journey, the- Great
South African trunk railway had only reached Vryburg,
the Chartered Company was but just, then in possession
of Mashonaland ; Lobengula was still in his. kraal, at
Bulawayo ; Mr. Rhodes was .heavily subsidizing British
Central Africa; the Germans had not yet advanced to
Lake Tanganika; and Uganda was being nursed by Sir
W. Mackinnon : consequently all the regions he visited
X :
In t r o d u c t i o n
were still somewhat benighted, though the dawn was
breaking and the sounds foretelling-the changes so soon
to come were in the air. Therefore a last look- around at
the countries destined to be awakened out of their long
sleep cannot fail to be interesting.
The traveller reached Cape Town in May, 1891, by one
of the Castle steamers. By the few remarks he makes upon
this, fine seaport he reveals the fact- that Africa was a terra
incognita to him. He imagined it to be a kind of Bombay
or Calcutta and is sadly disappointed; He does not find
it picturesque, because the savages he expected to meet are
mere “ black-looking villains ” dressed in European clothes,
who drink hard; hate work, and speak Dutch. From this
kind of plain speaking, in which he indulges at the outset,
we are led to believe that whatever he thinks worth telling,
will be told in as clear idiomatic English as he can command,
and we gather that his' whole aim is to honestly
describe all that he sees.
His real African - experiences begin at Vryburg, the
terminus- of the railway. He there invests in buck
waggons and becomes the owner of thirty-six' draught
oxen, and starts across the veld on the 25th of June.
His first trek and the night following are described in
vivid words. His camp is deluged by rain, the lightning
is terrific, the thunder crashes are appalling, the canvas
is stripped off the waggons, the wind and rain extinguishes
the lanterns, and drenched to the skin and in utter darkness
his- little expedition passes the first night. This
misadventure, is ominous—it seems . to us calamitous
occurrences are frequent. His waggons stick in the sand,
thirty-four oxen are hitched to one waggon, but despite
tremendous tugging and frantic yelling, - shrieking, and
whipping, it is immovable. They dig out the sand from
before the wheels and try again without success, until at
last they are obliged to unload, and. then only can they
move it. On the next trek they have to pass a morass,
into which one of the waggons-sinks-four feet, and-the
ki