African Explorations.--Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet, Penney, Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Bruce, Krapf and Rebmann, Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke.
The aerial line which Dr. Ferguson counted upon following had not been chosen at random1; his point of departure had been carefully studied, and it was not without good cause that he had resolved to ascend2 at the island of Zanzibar. This island, lying near to the eastern coast of Africa, is in the sixth degree of south latitude3, that is to say, four hundred and thirty geographical4 miles below the equator.
From this island the latest expedition, sent by way of the great lakes to explore the sources of the Nile, had just set out.
But it would be well to indicate what explorations Dr. Ferguson hoped to link together. The two principal ones were those of Dr. Barth in 1849, and of Lieutenants5 Burton and Speke in 1858.
Dr. Barth is a Hamburger, who obtained permission for himself and for his countryman Overweg to join the expedition of the Englishman Richardson. The latter was charged with a mission in the Soudan.
This vast region is situated6 between the fifteenth and tenth degrees of north latitude; that is to say, that, in order to approach it, the explorer must penetrate7 fifteen hundred miles into the interior of Africa.
Until then, the country in question had been known only through the journeys of Denham, of Clapperton, and of Oudney, made from 1822 to 1824. Richardson, Barth, and Overweg, jealously anxious to push their investigations8 farther, arrived at Tunis and Tripoli, like their predecessors9, and got as far as Mourzouk, the capital of Fezzan.
They then abandoned the perpendicular10 line, and made a sharp turn westward11 toward Ghat, guided, with difficulty, by the Touaregs. After a thousand scenes of pillage12, of vexation, and attacks by armed forces, their caravan13 arrived, in October, at the vast oasis14 of Asben. Dr. Barth separated from his companions, made an excursion to the town of Aghades, and rejoined the expedition, which resumed its march on the 12th of December. At length it reached the province of Damerghou; there the three travellers parted, and Barth took the road to Kano, where he arrived by dint15 of perseverance16, and after paying considerable tribute.
In spite of an intense fever, he quitted that place on the 7th of March, accompanied by a single servant. The principal aim of his journey was to reconnoitre Lake Tchad, from which he was still three hundred and fifty miles distant. He therefore advanced toward the east, and reached the town of Zouricolo, in the Bornou country, which is the core of the great central empire of Africa. There he heard of the death of Richardson, who had succumbed17 to fatigue18 and privation. He next arrived at Kouka, the capital of Bornou, on the borders of the lake. Finally, at the end of three weeks, on the 14th of April, twelve months after having quitted Tripoli, he reached the town of Ngornou.
We find him again setting forth19 on the 29th of March, 1851, with Overweg, to visit the kingdom of Adamaoua, to the south of the lake, and from there he pushed on as far as the town of Yola, a little below nine degrees north latitude. This was the extreme southern limit reached by that daring traveller.
He returned in the month of August to Kouka; from there he successively traversed the Mandara, Barghimi, and Klanem countries, and reached his extreme limit in the east, the town of Masena, situated at seventeen degrees twenty minutes west longitude20.
On the 25th of November, 1852, after the death of Overweg, his last companion, he plunged21 into the west, visited Sockoto, crossed the Niger, and finally reached Timbuctoo, where he had to languish22, during eight long months, under vexations inflicted23 upon him by the sheik, and all kinds of ill-treatment and wretchedness. But the presence of a Christian24 in the city could not long be tolerated, and the Foullans threatened to besiege25 it. The doctor, therefore, left it on the 17th of March, 1854, and fled to the frontier, where he remained for thirty-three days in the most abject26 destitution27. He then managed to get back to Kano in November, thence to Kouka, where he resumed Denham's route after four months' delay. He regained28 Tripoli toward the close of August, 1855, and arrived in London on the 6th of September, the only survivor29 of his party.
Such was the venturesome journey of Dr. Barth.
Dr. Ferguson carefully noted30 the fact, that he had stopped at four degrees north latitude and seventeen degrees west longitude.
Now let us see what Lieutenants Burton and Speke accomplished31 in Eastern Africa.
The various expeditions that had ascended32 the Nile could never manage to reach the mysterious source of that river. According to the narrative33 of the German doctor, Ferdinand Werne, the expedition attempted in 1840, under the auspices34 of Mehemet Ali, stopped at Gondokoro, between the fourth and fifth parallels of north latitude.
In 1855, Brun-Rollet, a native of Savoy, appointed consul35 for Sardinia in Eastern Soudan, to take the place of Vaudey, who had just died, set out from Karthoum, and, under the name of Yacoub the merchant, trading in gums and ivory, got as far as Belenia, beyond the fourth degree, but had to return in ill-health to Karthoum, where he died in 1857.
Neither Dr. Penney--the head of the Egyptian medical service, who, in a small steamer, penetrated36 one degree beyond Gondokoro, and then came back to die of exhaustion37 at Karthoum--nor Miani, the Venetian, who, turning the cataracts38 below Gondokoro, reached the second parallel-- nor the Maltese trader, Andrea Debono, who pushed his journey up the Nile still farther--could work their way beyond the apparently39 impassable limit.
In 1859, M. Guillaume Lejean, intrusted with a mission by the French Government, reached Karthoum by way of the Red Sea, and embarked40 upon the Nile with a retinue41 of twenty-one hired men and twenty soldiers, but he could not get past Gondokoro, and ran extreme risk of his life among the negro tribes, who were in full revolt. The expedition directed by M. d'Escayrac de Lauture made an equally unsuccessful attempt to reach the famous sources of the Nile.
This fatal limit invariably brought every traveller to a halt. In ancient times, the ambassadors of Nero reached the ninth degree of latitude, but in eighteen centuries only from five to six degrees, or from three hundred to three hundred and sixty geographical miles, were gained.
Many travellers endeavored to reach the sources of the Nile by taking their point of departure on the eastern coast of Africa.
Between 1768 and 1772 the Scotch43 traveller, Bruce, set out from Massowah, a port of Abyssinia, traversed the Tigre, visited the ruins of Axum, saw the sources of the Nile where they did not exist, and obtained no serious result.
In 1844, Dr. Krapf, an Anglican missionary44, founded an establishment at Monbaz, on the coast of Zanguebar, and, in company with the Rev42. Dr. Rebmann, discovered two mountain-ranges three hundred miles from the coast. These were the mountains of Kilimandjaro and Kenia, which Messrs. de Heuglin and Thornton have partly scaled so recently.
In 1845, Maizan, the French explorer, disembarked, alone, at Bagamayo, directly opposite to Zanzibar, and got as far as Deje-la-Mhora, where the chief caused him to be put to death in the most cruel torment45.
In 1859, in the month of August, the young traveller, Roscher, from Hamburg, set out with a caravan of Arab merchants, reached Lake Nyassa, and was there assassinated46 while he slept.
Finally, in 1857, Lieutenants Burton and Speke, both officers in the Bengal army, were sent by the London Geographical Society to explore the great African lakes, and on the 17th of June they quitted Zanzibar, and plunged directly into the west.
After four months of incredible suffering, their baggage having been pillaged47, and their attendants beaten and slain48, they arrived at Kazeh, a sort of central rendezvous49 for traders and caravans50. They were in the midst of the country of the Moon, and there they collected some precious documents concerning the manners, government, religion, fauna51, and flora52 of the region. They next made for the first of the great lakes, the one named Tanganayika, situated between the third and eighth degrees of south latitude. They reached it on the 14th of February, 1858, and visited the various tribes residing on its banks, the most of whom are cannibals.
They departed again on the 26th of May, and reentered Kazeh on the 20th of June. There Burton, who was completely worn out, lay ill for several months, during which time Speke made a push to the northward53 of more than three hundred miles, going as far as Lake Okeracua, which he came in sight of on the 3d of August; but he could descry54 only the opening of it at latitude two degrees thirty minutes.
He reached Kazeh, on his return, on the 25th of August, and, in company with Burton, again took up the route to Zanzibar, where they arrived in the month of March in the following year. These two daring explorers then reembarked for England; and the Geographical Society of Paris decreed them its annual prize medal.
Dr. Ferguson carefully remarked that they had not gone beyond the second degree of south latitude, nor the twenty-ninth of east longitude.
The problem, therefore, was how to link the explorations of Burton and Speke with those of Dr. Barth, since to do so was to undertake to traverse an extent of more than twelve degrees of territory.
到非洲的探险家——巴尔特、理查森、奥韦尔韦格、沃纳、布伦·罗莱、珀尼、安德里·德博诺、米阿尼、纪尧姆·勒让、布鲁斯、克拉普夫和雷布曼、麦桑、罗舍尔、伯顿、斯皮克
弗格森博士打算走的空中航线不是偶尔选定的，出发地点也经过了认真的研究。他决定从桑给巴尔岛升空不是没有道理。 该岛靠近非洲东海岸，在南纬6度线上。也就是说， 在赤道下方距赤道430地理里①的地方。通过大湖地区去寻找尼罗河源头的一支探险队刚由该岛出发不久。
①地理里等于1，852公里。
但有必要指出，弗格森博士有意把那些探险活动联系起来，尤其是其中的两次主要探险活动：1849年巴尔特博士领导的探险和1858年伯顿与斯皮克两位上尉领导的探险。
巴尔特博士是汉堡人。他与同胞奥韦尔韦格②获得允许参加了英国人理查森③的探险活动。后者负有到苏丹去的使命。苏丹这个地域辽阔的国家位于北纬15度与10度之间。就是说，要到达目的地，必须深入非洲内陆1500英里。
②1822—1852，德国地质学家、天文学家和旅行家，是环绕乍得湖航行并绘制湖区地图的第一位欧洲人。
③1787—1865，苏格兰海军军官和博物学家，曾三次去北极探险。
直到那时为止，该地区只有丹汉姆、克拉珀顿和奥德内于1822—1824年旅行到过。理查森、巴尔特和奥韦尔韦格巴望着把他们的调查推进得更远些。他们像前人一样先到了突尼斯，然后走的黎波里①，最后抵达费赞的首府穆尔祖克。
①的黎波里为利比亚首都。
这时，他们放弃了走与赤道垂直的路线，往西绕个急弯向加特②进发。由于向导是图瓦雷格人，他们遇到了不少困难。在遭受了上千次洗劫、凌辱、武装袭击后，他们的骆驼队终于在10月到达阿斯本广阔的沙漠绿洲。巴尔特博士在那里离开了同伴去阿加德兹③城旅行了一趟，然后又与探险队会合。12月12日探险队重新登程进发。队伍到了达迈古省后，这三位旅行家分手。巴尔特博士踏上了去卡诺④的路。多亏了他的毅力和一次次的重金厚礼，最后终于抵达目的地。
②利比亚西南部绿洲，位于古代撒哈拉商队的路线上。
③现尼日尔北部阿加德兹省的首府。
④尼日利亚北部城市。
尽管患上了极厉害的热病，巴尔特博士还是于3月7日离开该城，身边只带了一名仆人。 他这次旅行的主要目的是察看乍得湖，当时，距该湖还有350英里远。他向东进发，到了博尔努⑤的祖利科罗城。它是非洲伟大中央帝国的核心。在那里巴尔特博士得知理查森因劳累、遭劫去世的消息。他继续前进，抵达乍得湖畔的博尔努首都库卡城。 又过了三个星期，4月14日，在离开的黎波里十二个半月后，巴尔特博士终于到达恩戈努城。
⑤即现在的“博尔诺”，是尼日利亚北部州名和世袭酋长国名。
我们知道巴尔特博士是1851年3月29日和奥韦尔韦格一起动身去乍得湖南边参观阿达玛瓦⑥王国的。 他一直抵达北纬9度略微偏下一点的约拉城。这就是这位大胆旅行家往南到的最远的地方。
⑥尼日利亚贡戈拉州世袭酋长国。
巴尔特博士8月又来到库卡。 他从那里出发先后经过曼达拉、巴尔吉米、卡奈姆，最后抵达位于西经17度20分的马塞纳城，这是他往东到的最远的地方。
1852年11月25日，他的最后一位旅伴奥韦尔韦格去世。此后，他向西深入，参观索科托①，穿越尼日尔河，最后到达延巴克图②。在那儿，他不得不在部落酋长的肆意凌辱下， 忍受着虐待、苦难的煎熬，度过了漫长的8个月。但是，城里出现一位基督徒是当地人无法长期容忍的。富拉尼人③威胁要围城。巴尔特博士只好在1854年3月17日逃离该城，来到边境。他在一无所有的情况下，在边境逗留了33天，11月再次来到卡诺， 然后返回库卡。 等了四个月，他重新踏上丹纳姆走过的路。1855年8月底左右抵达的黎波里。 同年9月6日巴尔特博士终于回到伦敦。他是旅伴中唯一活着回来的。这就是巴尔特这次冒险旅行的大致情况。
①尼日利亚西北部最大的城镇和州首府，19世纪20年代以拥有两大清真寺和苏丹王宫著称。
③马里中部城市，历史名城。
③又称颇尔人或富拉贝人，穆斯林民族，散居在乍得湖到大西洋沿岸的西非更多地区。
弗格森博士仔仔细细地记下巴尔特博士在北纬4度和西经17度的地方停过。 现在再来瞧瞧伯顿中尉与斯皮克中尉在东非干了些什么：
沿尼罗河而上的各种探险队从未能到达这条河流的神秘源头。根据德国医生费迪南德·沃纳的叙记，他所在的那支探险队在穆罕穆德·阿里④的帮助下于1840年到过北纬4度与5度之间的刚多科罗。
④1769—1849，奥斯曼帝国驻埃及总督。
1855年，萨瓦人布伦·罗莱被任命为东苏丹撒丁岛的领事，以代替刚刚死去的沃迪。他从卡尔图姆①启程，一路化名为贩卖树胶、象牙的商人亚库伯。他到了北纬4度以上的贝莱尼亚。随后因病返回卡尔图姆，1857年在该地病故。
①又译为“喀什穆”。
埃及医务处处长珀尼博士乘小火轮到过比刚多科罗低1度的地方。 他回去后因精疲力竭死在卡尔图姆。威尼斯人米亚尼绕过位于刚多科罗下面的瀑布到了第二条纬度线地区。马耳他的批发商安德里·德博诺沿着尼罗河走得更远。但是，他们都没能越过这条不可逾越的界限。
1859年，纪尧姆·勒让受法国政府的委托，走红海去卡尔图姆。他率领21名船员和20名士兵在尼罗河驾船启程。但他没能越过刚多科罗，而且还在充满反抗的黑人眼皮底下航行时，冒了很大的风险。代斯凯拉德洛杜爵士领导的探险队也曾试图到达尼罗河真正的发源地。
但是，这条命中注定的界限总是使旅行家们难以逾越。尼禄②的使者过去曾到过北纬9度的地方。这么说来，18个世纪里人们只向前推进35.6度，也就是说300到360地理里。
②公元54—68年间的罗马皇帝。
好多旅行家也尝试过从非洲东海岸出发去找尼罗河发源地。
1768年到1772年，苏格兰人布鲁斯从阿比西尼亚③的港口马苏亚启程，穿过提格雷省④，探访了阿克苏姆废墟，看了所谓的尼罗河源头（根本不在那儿）⑤，最后，没有取得任何重大结果。
③埃塞俄比亚的旧称。
④埃塞俄比亚北部的一个省，首府为阿克苏姆。
⑤布鲁斯曾到过青尼罗河的源头河，当时那儿被认为是尼罗河的主要发源地。
1844年，英国圣公会传教士克拉普夫博士在桑给巴尔海滨的蒙巴兹建立了一个慈善机构。 他和尊敬的雷布曼神甫一起发现了距海滨300公里的两座山。这就是乞力马札罗山和肯尼亚山。霍伊格林和桑顿先生不久前刚攀登过这两座山的一部分。
1845年，法国人麦桑独自一人在桑给巴尔岛对面的巴加莫约①登陆，到了德热拉莫拉。在那里他被一位酋长严刑拷打至死。
①坦桑尼亚东部的古海港，从前是一个奴隶贸易站。
1859年8月份， 来自汉堡的年青旅行家罗舍尔同一支阿拉伯商人的骆驼商队一起动身到达尼亚萨湖②。在那儿，他在熟睡中被杀害。
②又称马拉维湖。
最后，1857年伯顿中尉和斯皮克中尉，两人都是孟加拉军队的军官，受伦敦地理学会派遣去考察非洲的大湖。 7月17日，他们离开桑给巴尔，直接向西进发。一路上他们的行李多次遭抢劫， 脚夫多次被痛打，忍受了4个月前所未有的苦难后，他们才走到商人和骆驼商队的聚集中心卡泽赫，就是月亮山地区。他们在那儿搜集了一些当地风俗、政府、宗教、动植物方面的宝贵资料后，接着去了大湖区的第一个湖，坦噶尼喀湖。该湖位于南纬3度与8度之间。1858年2月14日，他们到了那里，并走访了沿湖一带的各个部落。这些部落大部分保留着食人肉的习俗。
他们5月26日踏上归途，于6月20日回到卡泽赫。在那儿，身心疲惫的伯顿病了好几个月。 趁这段时间，斯皮克向北挺进了300多英里，一直走到乌克雷维湖。那天是8月3日。不过，他只是看见了位于南纬2度30分处的湖口。斯皮克8月25日返回卡泽赫。 随后，他与大病初愈的伯顿一起踏上去桑给巴尔的路程。第二年的3月份他们到了那里。这两位勇敢的探险家就这样回到了英国。巴黎地理学会向他们颁发了该学会的年度奖。
弗格森博士特别注意到伯顿与斯皮克既没跨越南纬2度线， 也没超过东经29度的地方。
因此，问题在于把伯顿和斯皮克的探险与巴尔特博士进行过的活动归并一起，就是说，要着手穿越宽约12度多的一大片地区。
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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latitude
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geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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lieutenants
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| n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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situated
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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predecessors
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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languish
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| vi.变得衰弱无力，失去活力，（植物等）凋萎 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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besiege
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| vt.包围，围攻，拥在...周围 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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destitution
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| n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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survivor
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| n.生存者，残存者，幸存者 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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assassinated
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| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
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pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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descry
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| v.远远看到；发现；责备 | |
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