Henry Morton Stanley
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT
November 27，1886
Mr.Chairman and gentlemen of the Lotos Club：—One might start a great many principles and ideaswhich would require to be illustrated and drawnout in order to present a picture of my feelings atthe present moment.I am conscious that in my im－mediate vicinity there are people who were greatwhen I was little.I remember very well when Iwas unknown to anybody，how I was sent to re－port a lecture by my friend right opposite，Mr.George Alfred Townsend，and I remember themanner in which he said：“Galileo said：”The worldmoves round，' and the world does move round，“upon the platform of the Mercantile Hall in St.Louis—one of the grandest things out.The nextgreat occasion that I had to come before the publicwas Mark Twain's lecture on the Sandwich Is- lands，which I was sent to report.And when Ilook to my left here I see Colonel Anderson，whosevery face gives me an idea that Bennett has gotsome telegraphic dispatch and is just about to sendme to some terrible region for some desperate com－mission.
And，of course，you are aware that it was ow- ing to the proprietor and editor of a newspaper thatI dropped the pacific garb of a journalist anddonned the costume of an African traveler.It wasnot for me，one of the least in the newspapercorps，to question the newspaper proprietor's mo－tives.He was an able editor，very rich，desperate－ly despotic.He commanded a great army of rovingwriters，people of fame in the news-gatheringworld；men who had been everywhere and hadseen everything from the bottom of the Atlantic tothe top of the very highest mountain；men whowere as ready to give their advice to National Cabi－nets as they were ready to give it to the smallestpolice courts in the United States.I belonged tothis class of roving writers，and I can truly saythat I did my best to be conspicuously great in it，by an untiring devotion to my duties，an untiringindefatigability，as though the ordinary rotation ofthe universe depended upon my single endeavors.If，as some of you suspect，the enterprise of theable editor was only inspired with a view to obtainthe largest circulation，my unyielding and guidingmotive，if I remember rightly，was to win his favorby doing with all my might that duty to which ac-cording to the English State Church Catechissm，“ithad pleased God to call me.”
He first dispatched me to Abyssinia—straightfrom Missouri to Abyssinia！ What a stride，gentle- men！ People who lived west of the Missouri Riverhave scarcely，I think，much knowledge of Abyssinia，and there are gentlemen here who canvouch for me in that，but it seemed to Mr.Bennetta very ordinary thing，and it seemed to his agent inLondon a very ordinary thing indeed，so I of coursefollowed suit.I took it as a very ordinary thing，and I went to Abyssinia，and somehow or othergood luck followed me and my telegrams reportingthe fall of Magdala happened to be a week ahead ofthe British Government's The people said I haddone right well，though the London papers said Iwas an impostor.
The second thing I was aware of was that I was ordered to Crete to run the blockade，describethe Cretan rebellion from the Cretan side，andfrom the Turkish side； and then I was sent to Spain to report from the Republican side and fromthe Carlist side，perfectly dispassionately.Andthen，all of a sudden，I was sent for to come toParis.Then Mr.Bennett，in that despotic way ofhis，said：“I want you to go and find Livingstone.”As I tell you，I was a mere newspaper reporter.Idared not confess my soul as my own.Mr.Ben- nett merely said：“Go，” and I went.He gave me aglass of champagne and I think that was superb.Iconfessed my duty to him，and I went.And asgood luck would have it，I found Livingstone.I re－turned as a good citizen ought and as a good re- porter ought and as a good correspondent ought，to tell the tale，and arriving at Aden，I telegrapheda request that I might be permitted to visit civiliza－tion before I went to China.I came to civilization，and what do you think was the result？ Why，onlyto find that all the world disbelieved my story.Dear me！If I were proud of anything，it was thatwhat I said was a fact； that whatever I said Iwould do，I would endeavor to do with all my might，or，as many a good man has done before，as my predecessors had done，to lay my bones be- hind.That's all.I was requested in an off－h(huán)andmanner—just as any member of the Lotos Club here present would say—“Would you mind giving us a little résumé of your geographical work？” Isaid：“Not in the least，my dear sir；I have not theslightest objection.”And do you know that to make it perfectly geographical and not in the leastsensational，I took particular pains and I wrote apaper out，and when it was printed，it was justabout so long [indicating an inch].It containedabout a hundred polysyllabic African words.And yet“for a' that and a' that” the pundits of the Geo－graphical Society—Brighton Association—said thatthey hadn't come to listen to any sensational sto－ries，but that they had come to listen to facts.Well now，a little gentleman，very reverend，full of years and honors，learned in Cufic inscriptionsand cuneiform characters，wrote to The Timesstating that it was not Stanley who had discoveredLivingstone but that it was Livingstone who haddiscovered Stanley.
If it had not been for that unbelief，I don't be－lieve I should ever have visited Africa again； Ishould have become，or I should have endeavoredto become，with Mr.Reid's permission，a conser－vative member of the Lotos Club.I should havesettled down and become as steady and as stolid assome of these patriots that you have around here，Ishould have said nothing offensive.I should havedone some“treating.” I should have offered a fewcigars and on Saturday night，perhaps，I wouldhave opened a bottle of champagne and distributedit among my friends.But that was not to be.I left New York for spain and then the Ashantee War broke out and once more my good luck followed meand I got the treaty of peace ahead of everybodyelse，and as I was coming to England from theAshantee War a telegraphic dispatch was put intomy hands at the Island of St.Vincent，saying thatLivingstone was dead.I said：“What does thatmean to me？ New Yorkers don't believe in me.How was I to prove that what I have said is true？By George！I will go and complete Livingstone'swork.I will prove that the discovery of Living－stone was a mere fleabite.I will prove to them thatI am a good man and true.” That is all that Iwanted.
I accompanied Livingstone's remains to West－minster Abbey.I saw those remains buried which Ihad left sixteen months before enjoying full life andabundant hope.The Daily Telegraph's proprietorcabled over to Bennett：“Will you join us in sendingStanley over to complete Livingstone's explo－rations？”Bennett received the telegram in NewYork，read it，pondered a moment，snatched ablank and wrote：“Yes.Bennett.”That was my commission，and I set out to Africa intending tocomplete Livingstone's explorations，also to settlethe Nile problem，as to where the headwaters ofthe Nile were，as to whether Lake Victoria consist- ed of one lake，one body of water，or a number ofshallow lakes； to throw some light on Sir SamuelBaker's Albert Nyanza，and also to discover theoutlet of Lake Tanganyika，and then to find outwhat strange，mysterious river this was which hadlured Livingstone on to his death—whether it wasthe Nile，the Niger，or the Congo.Edwin Arnold，the author of“The Light of Asia，” said：“Do youthink you can do all this？”“Don't ask me such aconundrum as that.Put down the funds and tell me to go.That is all.” And he induced Lawson，the proprietor，to consent.The funds were putdown，and I went.
First of all，we settled the problem of the Vic- toria that it was one body of water，that instead ofbeing a cluster of shallow lakes or marshes，it wasone body of water，21，500 square miles in extent.While endeavoring to throw light upon Sir SamuelBaker's Albert Nyanza，we discovered a new lake，a much superior lake to Albert Nyanza—the deadLocust Lake——and at the same time Gordon Pashasent his lieutenant to discover and circumnavigatethe Albert Nyanza and he found it to be only a mis－erable 140 miles，because Baker，in a fit of enthu-siasm had stood on the brow of a high plateau andlooking down on the dark blue waters of Albert Nyanza，cried romantically：“I see it extending in-definitely toward the southwest！” Indefinitely isnot a geographical expression，gentlemen.We found that there was no outlet to the Tanganyika，although it was a sweet-water lake； we，settlingthat problem，day after day as we glided down thestrange river that had lured Livingstone to hisdeath，were as much in doubt as Livingstone hadbeen，when he wrote his last letter and said：“I willnever be made black man's meat for anything lessthan the classic Nile.”
After traveling 400 miles we came to the Stanley Falls，and beyond them，we saw the river deflect from its Nileward course toward the north-west.Then it turned west，and then visions of towers and towns and strange tribes and strangenations broke upon our imagination，and we won-dered what we were going to see，when the riversuddenly took a decided turn toward the southwestand our dreams were put an end to.We saw thenthat it was aiming directly for the Congo，andwhen we had propitiated some natives whom we encountered by showing them crimson beads and polished wire，that had been polished for the occa－sion，we said：“This is for your answer.What riv- er is this？”“Why，it is the river，of course.”Thatwas not an answer，and it required some persua- sion before the chief，bit by bit digging into hisbrain，managed to roll out sonorously that，“It isthe Ko－to－yah Congo.”“It is the river of Con－goland.” Alas for our classic dreams！ Alas forCrophi and Mophi，the fabled fountains ofHerodotus！ Alas for the banks of the river whereMoses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh！
This is the parvenu Congo！ Then we glided on andon past strange nations and cannibals—not pastthose nations which have their heads under theirarms—for 1，100 miles，until we arrived at the cir－cular extension of the river and my last remainingcompanion called it the Stanley Pool，and then fivemonths after that our journey ended.
亨利·莫頓·斯坦利
穿過(guò)黑暗大陸
1886年 11月 27日
主席先生，荷花俱樂(lè)部的先生們：
為了表達(dá)我現(xiàn)時(shí)的情感，不妨從許多需要加以闡發(fā)的原則和思想開(kāi)始。我意識(shí)到，在我身邊就有早在我孩提時(shí)代即已聞名遐邇的偉人。記得我還是個(gè)無(wú)名小卒時(shí)被派去報(bào)道坐在對(duì)面的老友喬治 ·阿爾弗雷德·湯申德的一次講演，他在圣路易斯商業(yè)會(huì)堂講臺(tái)上講話的情景依舊歷歷在目：“伽利略說(shuō)過(guò)，'地球在旋轉(zhuǎn)’，地球確實(shí)在旋轉(zhuǎn)”，——真是了不起的說(shuō)法。另有一次我務(wù)必到場(chǎng)的重大場(chǎng)合是在桑威奇群島聆聽(tīng)馬克·吐溫演講，我也是被派去作報(bào)道的。當(dāng)我朝我的左邊看時(shí)，看見(jiàn)了安德森上校，他那面容使我覺(jué)得貝內(nèi)特接到了電報(bào)，正準(zhǔn)備派我到某一可怖地區(qū)去執(zhí)行某種緊急使命。
而你們當(dāng)然知道，我之所以脫下溫文爾雅的記者服裝，披上非洲旅行者的外衣，是由于一家報(bào)紙的老板兼編輯的緣故。像我這樣一個(gè)在新聞隊(duì)伍里職位低微的人是不配問(wèn)報(bào)紙老板的動(dòng)機(jī)的。他是位能干的編輯，很富有，又專橫跋扈。他指揮著一大批流動(dòng)作家，都是新聞界的出名人物，他們走遍天下，見(jiàn)識(shí)過(guò)從大西洋底到世界山峰的一切事物；他們?cè)敢庀窠o各國(guó)政府進(jìn)言一樣給美國(guó)最小的違警罪法庭提建議。我屬于這個(gè)流動(dòng)作家營(yíng)壘，現(xiàn)在我的確可以說(shuō)那時(shí)我竭盡全力、孜孜不倦地恪盡職守，想以此嶄露頭角，仿佛宇宙的正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)全靠我的努力。正如你們有人猜想的，要是那位能干的編輯的企業(yè)以的發(fā)行量為目標(biāo)，那么如果我沒(méi)記錯(cuò)的話，我的百折不撓的行動(dòng)方針就是按照《英國(guó)國(guó)教教義問(wèn)答手冊(cè)》全力以赴地對(duì)此盡責(zé)，以博取他的歡心，“召我升天正合上帝心意”。
老板讓我干的第一件事是派我去阿比西尼亞——從密蘇里直赴阿比西尼亞。先生們，這是多大的跨越呀？我想居住在密蘇里河西岸的人們對(duì)阿比西尼亞幾乎一無(wú)所知，這一點(diǎn)在座的一些紳士可為我作證，但是，阿比西尼亞對(duì)貝內(nèi)特先生來(lái)說(shuō)是件極平凡的事，對(duì)他在倫敦的代理人來(lái)說(shuō)也是件極平凡的事，我當(dāng)然就得照辦。我認(rèn)為這是件極平凡的事情而去了阿比西尼亞。不知為什么好運(yùn)會(huì)落到我頭上，我報(bào)道馬杰達(dá)拉陷落的電文碰巧比英國(guó)政府的早一星期，人們說(shuō)干得漂亮，雖然倫敦報(bào)紙說(shuō)我是個(gè)騙子。
第二件事是我受命去希臘的克里特偷越封鎖線，從克里特方面和土耳其方面報(bào)道克里特叛亂。接著，我被派到了西班牙，從共和派方面和西班牙王室正統(tǒng)派方面進(jìn)行不帶任何偏見(jiàn)的報(bào)道。隨后，我又突然奉召去巴黎。于是，貝內(nèi)特先生以他那種霸道的口氣說(shuō)：“我要你去找利文斯通?！闭缥腋嬖V你們的，我僅僅是一名新聞?dòng)浾?，我不敢自行其事。貝?nèi)特先生說(shuō)“去”，我只好去了。他給我一杯香檳酒，我想那是特別香醇的。我向他表示必將盡職，隨后就出發(fā)。我吉星高照，居然找到了利文斯通。我回來(lái)后講述了經(jīng)過(guò)，那是一個(gè)好公民，一個(gè)好通訊員，一個(gè)好記者應(yīng)該做的。到了亞丁，我發(fā)電請(qǐng)求在去中國(guó)以前可否訪問(wèn)文明世界。我來(lái)到了文明世界，你們猜，結(jié)果又如何呢？嗨，不料誰(shuí)都不信我講的故事。哎呀！我若有什么值得自豪的，那就是：我所講的全是事實(shí)；凡我說(shuō)過(guò)要做的事就一定全力做到，或者，像許多好人以前所做的那樣，像我的先輩所做的那樣，不惜埋骨異鄉(xiāng)。這就是我所引以自豪的。對(duì)我的要求是即席提出來(lái)的，正如這里的荷花俱樂(lè)部會(huì)員都會(huì)說(shuō)：“你不介意將你的地理探測(cè)的梗概告訴我們吧？”我說(shuō)：“先生，一點(diǎn)也不介意；我沒(méi)有絲毫反對(duì)意見(jiàn)。”你們是否曉得為了使那份梗概完全探討地理知識(shí)而不帶一點(diǎn)感情色彩，我可費(fèi)盡了心機(jī)，寫了一篇論文，印出來(lái)有那么厚（做手勢(shì)約一英寸）。論文約有一百個(gè)多音節(jié)非洲語(yǔ)單詞。然而由于這樣那樣的原因，布賴頓地理學(xué)會(huì)那些博學(xué)的權(quán)威們?nèi)哉f(shuō)，他們來(lái)此并非是要聽(tīng)聳人聽(tīng)聞的故事，而是要了解事實(shí)真相。喔，有一位非常可敬的身材矮小的先生，精通庫(kù)法字體銘文和楔形文字，寫信給《泰晤士報(bào)》說(shuō)，并非斯坦利發(fā)現(xiàn)了利文斯通，而是利文斯通發(fā)現(xiàn)了斯坦利。
如果不是由于此類懷疑，我不信自己還會(huì)再訪非洲；我本應(yīng)經(jīng)過(guò)里德先生同意，成為或者爭(zhēng)取成為荷花俱樂(lè)部的一名保守會(huì)員。我本應(yīng)定居下來(lái)，像你們這里的某些愛(ài)國(guó)者一樣過(guò)安全平靜的生活，不說(shuō)任何無(wú)禮的話。我本應(yīng)講究“客套”。我本應(yīng)向人敬煙，也許周末晚上，我要開(kāi)瓶香檳酒，款待我的朋友。但是事實(shí)并非如此。我離開(kāi)紐約去了西班牙，接著阿散蒂戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)爆發(fā)了；而我又一次吉星高照，我比其他人更早獲得締結(jié)和約的消息，而當(dāng)我從阿散蒂戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)去英格蘭時(shí)，在圣文森特島收到電報(bào)說(shuō)利文斯通已謝世。我說(shuō)：“這消息對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)意味著什么？紐約人不相信我，我怎么才能證明我說(shuō)的話是真的？確實(shí)難呀！我要去完成利文斯通的未竟之業(yè)，我將證明我發(fā)現(xiàn)利文斯通算不了什么，我要向紐約人證明我是一個(gè)出色的人，是真正的人?！边@就是我之所求。
我將利文斯通的遺體護(hù)送到了威斯敏斯特教堂，看著遺體下葬，而在16個(gè)月前分別時(shí)，他還生機(jī)勃勃，滿懷希望?！睹咳针娪崍?bào)》老板打電報(bào)給貝內(nèi)特說(shuō)：“你是否同意我們共同派遣斯坦利去完成利文斯通未竟的探險(xiǎn)？”貝內(nèi)特在紐約接到電文，沉思片刻，拿起一張白紙寫道：“同意。貝內(nèi)特?！蹦蔷褪俏业氖姑覄?dòng)身去非洲意欲完成利文斯通的探險(xiǎn)任務(wù)，還要解開(kāi)尼羅河之謎，弄清尼羅河的源頭在哪里，維多利亞湖僅由一個(gè)湖泊、一個(gè)水體構(gòu)成還是由若干淺湖組成；弄清塞繆爾·貝克爵士發(fā)現(xiàn)的阿伯特湖；還要找到坦噶尼喀湖的出口，然后找出那條誘使利文斯通走上死亡之路的奇怪、神秘的河流是尼羅河，尼日爾河，還是剛果河？《亞洲之光》作者埃德溫·阿諾德說(shuō)：“您認(rèn)為能辦到這么多事嗎？”“請(qǐng)不要問(wèn)我諸如此類難以回答的問(wèn)題，拿出資金來(lái)，命令我出發(fā)。就這樣?！笔前⒅Z德勸說(shuō)勞森老板同意，拿出了錢，我就這樣走了。
首先我們解決維多利亞湖是不是一個(gè)水體的問(wèn)題，它不是由一串淺湖或者沼澤地組成，而是一個(gè)水體，面積約21500平方英里。在探查塞繆爾·貝克發(fā)現(xiàn)的阿伯特湖時(shí)，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)比阿伯特湖大得多的新湖（洛卡斯特死湖）。與此同時(shí)，戈登·帕夏派他的副官繞阿伯特湖探查一圈，結(jié)果傷心地發(fā)現(xiàn)其周長(zhǎng)僅140英里，因?yàn)樨惪嗽鴿M懷熱情地站在高原之巔俯瞰阿伯特湖深藍(lán)的湖水，夸張地驚叫：“我看到它往西南無(wú)限延伸！”先生們，無(wú)限不是一個(gè)地理詞語(yǔ)。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)坦噶尼喀湖雖然是淡水湖，卻沒(méi)有出口；我們解決了這個(gè)問(wèn)題后，就夜以繼日地沿著那吸引利文斯通走上絕路的神秘的河順流而下，想起利文斯通在其最后一封信中寫道： “我不會(huì)為任何不及尼羅河古老的河流去冒成為黑人口中之食的危險(xiǎn)?！蔽覀兒屠乃雇ㄒ粯討延性S多疑問(wèn)。
旅行400英里之后，我們來(lái)到斯坦利瀑布，從瀑布這邊，看到那條河偏離流向尼羅河的方向而朝西北流淌。然后它折向西，此時(shí)我們腦海中出現(xiàn)堡壘、城鎮(zhèn)以及奇異的部落和奇特的民族的幻象。河流突然往西南轉(zhuǎn)彎，我們不知道將會(huì)見(jiàn)到什么，我們的夢(mèng)想也結(jié)束了。然后我們看到河流徑直向剛果河流去。我們路遇一些土著，給他們看緋紅色的念珠和精美的金屬絲，對(duì)他們進(jìn)行撫慰并說(shuō)道：“我們拿這些來(lái)?yè)Q你們的回答。這是什么河？”“噢，當(dāng)然它是河?！贝鸱撬鶈?wèn)，看來(lái)必須給頭人作些開(kāi)導(dǎo)，讓他逐步開(kāi)竅，最后終于使他聲音洪亮地說(shuō)道：“這是科托亞剛果?！薄斑@是剛果河”，主呀！美夢(mèng)成真了！是希羅多德傳說(shuō)中的克洛菲泉和莫菲泉！是法老之女發(fā)現(xiàn)摩西時(shí)的河岸！這就是暴發(fā)戶般的剛果！我們隨之慢慢漂流了約1，100英里，途經(jīng)奇特民族和食人生番居住的地方（沒(méi)有遇見(jiàn)頭生在腋下的民族），直抵那條河的環(huán)形外延部分，最后剩下來(lái)一直陪伴我的旅伴稱它為“斯坦利水塘”。5個(gè)月之后，我們的旅行結(jié)束了。
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT
November 27，1886
Mr.Chairman and gentlemen of the Lotos Club：—One might start a great many principles and ideaswhich would require to be illustrated and drawnout in order to present a picture of my feelings atthe present moment.I am conscious that in my im－mediate vicinity there are people who were greatwhen I was little.I remember very well when Iwas unknown to anybody，how I was sent to re－port a lecture by my friend right opposite，Mr.George Alfred Townsend，and I remember themanner in which he said：“Galileo said：”The worldmoves round，' and the world does move round，“upon the platform of the Mercantile Hall in St.Louis—one of the grandest things out.The nextgreat occasion that I had to come before the publicwas Mark Twain's lecture on the Sandwich Is- lands，which I was sent to report.And when Ilook to my left here I see Colonel Anderson，whosevery face gives me an idea that Bennett has gotsome telegraphic dispatch and is just about to sendme to some terrible region for some desperate com－mission.
And，of course，you are aware that it was ow- ing to the proprietor and editor of a newspaper thatI dropped the pacific garb of a journalist anddonned the costume of an African traveler.It wasnot for me，one of the least in the newspapercorps，to question the newspaper proprietor's mo－tives.He was an able editor，very rich，desperate－ly despotic.He commanded a great army of rovingwriters，people of fame in the news-gatheringworld；men who had been everywhere and hadseen everything from the bottom of the Atlantic tothe top of the very highest mountain；men whowere as ready to give their advice to National Cabi－nets as they were ready to give it to the smallestpolice courts in the United States.I belonged tothis class of roving writers，and I can truly saythat I did my best to be conspicuously great in it，by an untiring devotion to my duties，an untiringindefatigability，as though the ordinary rotation ofthe universe depended upon my single endeavors.If，as some of you suspect，the enterprise of theable editor was only inspired with a view to obtainthe largest circulation，my unyielding and guidingmotive，if I remember rightly，was to win his favorby doing with all my might that duty to which ac-cording to the English State Church Catechissm，“ithad pleased God to call me.”
He first dispatched me to Abyssinia—straightfrom Missouri to Abyssinia！ What a stride，gentle- men！ People who lived west of the Missouri Riverhave scarcely，I think，much knowledge of Abyssinia，and there are gentlemen here who canvouch for me in that，but it seemed to Mr.Bennetta very ordinary thing，and it seemed to his agent inLondon a very ordinary thing indeed，so I of coursefollowed suit.I took it as a very ordinary thing，and I went to Abyssinia，and somehow or othergood luck followed me and my telegrams reportingthe fall of Magdala happened to be a week ahead ofthe British Government's The people said I haddone right well，though the London papers said Iwas an impostor.
The second thing I was aware of was that I was ordered to Crete to run the blockade，describethe Cretan rebellion from the Cretan side，andfrom the Turkish side； and then I was sent to Spain to report from the Republican side and fromthe Carlist side，perfectly dispassionately.Andthen，all of a sudden，I was sent for to come toParis.Then Mr.Bennett，in that despotic way ofhis，said：“I want you to go and find Livingstone.”As I tell you，I was a mere newspaper reporter.Idared not confess my soul as my own.Mr.Ben- nett merely said：“Go，” and I went.He gave me aglass of champagne and I think that was superb.Iconfessed my duty to him，and I went.And asgood luck would have it，I found Livingstone.I re－turned as a good citizen ought and as a good re- porter ought and as a good correspondent ought，to tell the tale，and arriving at Aden，I telegrapheda request that I might be permitted to visit civiliza－tion before I went to China.I came to civilization，and what do you think was the result？ Why，onlyto find that all the world disbelieved my story.Dear me！If I were proud of anything，it was thatwhat I said was a fact； that whatever I said Iwould do，I would endeavor to do with all my might，or，as many a good man has done before，as my predecessors had done，to lay my bones be- hind.That's all.I was requested in an off－h(huán)andmanner—just as any member of the Lotos Club here present would say—“Would you mind giving us a little résumé of your geographical work？” Isaid：“Not in the least，my dear sir；I have not theslightest objection.”And do you know that to make it perfectly geographical and not in the leastsensational，I took particular pains and I wrote apaper out，and when it was printed，it was justabout so long [indicating an inch].It containedabout a hundred polysyllabic African words.And yet“for a' that and a' that” the pundits of the Geo－graphical Society—Brighton Association—said thatthey hadn't come to listen to any sensational sto－ries，but that they had come to listen to facts.Well now，a little gentleman，very reverend，full of years and honors，learned in Cufic inscriptionsand cuneiform characters，wrote to The Timesstating that it was not Stanley who had discoveredLivingstone but that it was Livingstone who haddiscovered Stanley.
If it had not been for that unbelief，I don't be－lieve I should ever have visited Africa again； Ishould have become，or I should have endeavoredto become，with Mr.Reid's permission，a conser－vative member of the Lotos Club.I should havesettled down and become as steady and as stolid assome of these patriots that you have around here，Ishould have said nothing offensive.I should havedone some“treating.” I should have offered a fewcigars and on Saturday night，perhaps，I wouldhave opened a bottle of champagne and distributedit among my friends.But that was not to be.I left New York for spain and then the Ashantee War broke out and once more my good luck followed meand I got the treaty of peace ahead of everybodyelse，and as I was coming to England from theAshantee War a telegraphic dispatch was put intomy hands at the Island of St.Vincent，saying thatLivingstone was dead.I said：“What does thatmean to me？ New Yorkers don't believe in me.How was I to prove that what I have said is true？By George！I will go and complete Livingstone'swork.I will prove that the discovery of Living－stone was a mere fleabite.I will prove to them thatI am a good man and true.” That is all that Iwanted.
I accompanied Livingstone's remains to West－minster Abbey.I saw those remains buried which Ihad left sixteen months before enjoying full life andabundant hope.The Daily Telegraph's proprietorcabled over to Bennett：“Will you join us in sendingStanley over to complete Livingstone's explo－rations？”Bennett received the telegram in NewYork，read it，pondered a moment，snatched ablank and wrote：“Yes.Bennett.”That was my commission，and I set out to Africa intending tocomplete Livingstone's explorations，also to settlethe Nile problem，as to where the headwaters ofthe Nile were，as to whether Lake Victoria consist- ed of one lake，one body of water，or a number ofshallow lakes； to throw some light on Sir SamuelBaker's Albert Nyanza，and also to discover theoutlet of Lake Tanganyika，and then to find outwhat strange，mysterious river this was which hadlured Livingstone on to his death—whether it wasthe Nile，the Niger，or the Congo.Edwin Arnold，the author of“The Light of Asia，” said：“Do youthink you can do all this？”“Don't ask me such aconundrum as that.Put down the funds and tell me to go.That is all.” And he induced Lawson，the proprietor，to consent.The funds were putdown，and I went.
First of all，we settled the problem of the Vic- toria that it was one body of water，that instead ofbeing a cluster of shallow lakes or marshes，it wasone body of water，21，500 square miles in extent.While endeavoring to throw light upon Sir SamuelBaker's Albert Nyanza，we discovered a new lake，a much superior lake to Albert Nyanza—the deadLocust Lake——and at the same time Gordon Pashasent his lieutenant to discover and circumnavigatethe Albert Nyanza and he found it to be only a mis－erable 140 miles，because Baker，in a fit of enthu-siasm had stood on the brow of a high plateau andlooking down on the dark blue waters of Albert Nyanza，cried romantically：“I see it extending in-definitely toward the southwest！” Indefinitely isnot a geographical expression，gentlemen.We found that there was no outlet to the Tanganyika，although it was a sweet-water lake； we，settlingthat problem，day after day as we glided down thestrange river that had lured Livingstone to hisdeath，were as much in doubt as Livingstone hadbeen，when he wrote his last letter and said：“I willnever be made black man's meat for anything lessthan the classic Nile.”
After traveling 400 miles we came to the Stanley Falls，and beyond them，we saw the river deflect from its Nileward course toward the north-west.Then it turned west，and then visions of towers and towns and strange tribes and strangenations broke upon our imagination，and we won-dered what we were going to see，when the riversuddenly took a decided turn toward the southwestand our dreams were put an end to.We saw thenthat it was aiming directly for the Congo，andwhen we had propitiated some natives whom we encountered by showing them crimson beads and polished wire，that had been polished for the occa－sion，we said：“This is for your answer.What riv- er is this？”“Why，it is the river，of course.”Thatwas not an answer，and it required some persua- sion before the chief，bit by bit digging into hisbrain，managed to roll out sonorously that，“It isthe Ko－to－yah Congo.”“It is the river of Con－goland.” Alas for our classic dreams！ Alas forCrophi and Mophi，the fabled fountains ofHerodotus！ Alas for the banks of the river whereMoses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh！
This is the parvenu Congo！ Then we glided on andon past strange nations and cannibals—not pastthose nations which have their heads under theirarms—for 1，100 miles，until we arrived at the cir－cular extension of the river and my last remainingcompanion called it the Stanley Pool，and then fivemonths after that our journey ended.
亨利·莫頓·斯坦利
穿過(guò)黑暗大陸
1886年 11月 27日
主席先生，荷花俱樂(lè)部的先生們：
為了表達(dá)我現(xiàn)時(shí)的情感，不妨從許多需要加以闡發(fā)的原則和思想開(kāi)始。我意識(shí)到，在我身邊就有早在我孩提時(shí)代即已聞名遐邇的偉人。記得我還是個(gè)無(wú)名小卒時(shí)被派去報(bào)道坐在對(duì)面的老友喬治 ·阿爾弗雷德·湯申德的一次講演，他在圣路易斯商業(yè)會(huì)堂講臺(tái)上講話的情景依舊歷歷在目：“伽利略說(shuō)過(guò)，'地球在旋轉(zhuǎn)’，地球確實(shí)在旋轉(zhuǎn)”，——真是了不起的說(shuō)法。另有一次我務(wù)必到場(chǎng)的重大場(chǎng)合是在桑威奇群島聆聽(tīng)馬克·吐溫演講，我也是被派去作報(bào)道的。當(dāng)我朝我的左邊看時(shí)，看見(jiàn)了安德森上校，他那面容使我覺(jué)得貝內(nèi)特接到了電報(bào)，正準(zhǔn)備派我到某一可怖地區(qū)去執(zhí)行某種緊急使命。
而你們當(dāng)然知道，我之所以脫下溫文爾雅的記者服裝，披上非洲旅行者的外衣，是由于一家報(bào)紙的老板兼編輯的緣故。像我這樣一個(gè)在新聞隊(duì)伍里職位低微的人是不配問(wèn)報(bào)紙老板的動(dòng)機(jī)的。他是位能干的編輯，很富有，又專橫跋扈。他指揮著一大批流動(dòng)作家，都是新聞界的出名人物，他們走遍天下，見(jiàn)識(shí)過(guò)從大西洋底到世界山峰的一切事物；他們?cè)敢庀窠o各國(guó)政府進(jìn)言一樣給美國(guó)最小的違警罪法庭提建議。我屬于這個(gè)流動(dòng)作家營(yíng)壘，現(xiàn)在我的確可以說(shuō)那時(shí)我竭盡全力、孜孜不倦地恪盡職守，想以此嶄露頭角，仿佛宇宙的正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)全靠我的努力。正如你們有人猜想的，要是那位能干的編輯的企業(yè)以的發(fā)行量為目標(biāo)，那么如果我沒(méi)記錯(cuò)的話，我的百折不撓的行動(dòng)方針就是按照《英國(guó)國(guó)教教義問(wèn)答手冊(cè)》全力以赴地對(duì)此盡責(zé)，以博取他的歡心，“召我升天正合上帝心意”。
老板讓我干的第一件事是派我去阿比西尼亞——從密蘇里直赴阿比西尼亞。先生們，這是多大的跨越呀？我想居住在密蘇里河西岸的人們對(duì)阿比西尼亞幾乎一無(wú)所知，這一點(diǎn)在座的一些紳士可為我作證，但是，阿比西尼亞對(duì)貝內(nèi)特先生來(lái)說(shuō)是件極平凡的事，對(duì)他在倫敦的代理人來(lái)說(shuō)也是件極平凡的事，我當(dāng)然就得照辦。我認(rèn)為這是件極平凡的事情而去了阿比西尼亞。不知為什么好運(yùn)會(huì)落到我頭上，我報(bào)道馬杰達(dá)拉陷落的電文碰巧比英國(guó)政府的早一星期，人們說(shuō)干得漂亮，雖然倫敦報(bào)紙說(shuō)我是個(gè)騙子。
第二件事是我受命去希臘的克里特偷越封鎖線，從克里特方面和土耳其方面報(bào)道克里特叛亂。接著，我被派到了西班牙，從共和派方面和西班牙王室正統(tǒng)派方面進(jìn)行不帶任何偏見(jiàn)的報(bào)道。隨后，我又突然奉召去巴黎。于是，貝內(nèi)特先生以他那種霸道的口氣說(shuō)：“我要你去找利文斯通?！闭缥腋嬖V你們的，我僅僅是一名新聞?dòng)浾?，我不敢自行其事。貝?nèi)特先生說(shuō)“去”，我只好去了。他給我一杯香檳酒，我想那是特別香醇的。我向他表示必將盡職，隨后就出發(fā)。我吉星高照，居然找到了利文斯通。我回來(lái)后講述了經(jīng)過(guò)，那是一個(gè)好公民，一個(gè)好通訊員，一個(gè)好記者應(yīng)該做的。到了亞丁，我發(fā)電請(qǐng)求在去中國(guó)以前可否訪問(wèn)文明世界。我來(lái)到了文明世界，你們猜，結(jié)果又如何呢？嗨，不料誰(shuí)都不信我講的故事。哎呀！我若有什么值得自豪的，那就是：我所講的全是事實(shí)；凡我說(shuō)過(guò)要做的事就一定全力做到，或者，像許多好人以前所做的那樣，像我的先輩所做的那樣，不惜埋骨異鄉(xiāng)。這就是我所引以自豪的。對(duì)我的要求是即席提出來(lái)的，正如這里的荷花俱樂(lè)部會(huì)員都會(huì)說(shuō)：“你不介意將你的地理探測(cè)的梗概告訴我們吧？”我說(shuō)：“先生，一點(diǎn)也不介意；我沒(méi)有絲毫反對(duì)意見(jiàn)。”你們是否曉得為了使那份梗概完全探討地理知識(shí)而不帶一點(diǎn)感情色彩，我可費(fèi)盡了心機(jī)，寫了一篇論文，印出來(lái)有那么厚（做手勢(shì)約一英寸）。論文約有一百個(gè)多音節(jié)非洲語(yǔ)單詞。然而由于這樣那樣的原因，布賴頓地理學(xué)會(huì)那些博學(xué)的權(quán)威們?nèi)哉f(shuō)，他們來(lái)此并非是要聽(tīng)聳人聽(tīng)聞的故事，而是要了解事實(shí)真相。喔，有一位非常可敬的身材矮小的先生，精通庫(kù)法字體銘文和楔形文字，寫信給《泰晤士報(bào)》說(shuō)，并非斯坦利發(fā)現(xiàn)了利文斯通，而是利文斯通發(fā)現(xiàn)了斯坦利。
如果不是由于此類懷疑，我不信自己還會(huì)再訪非洲；我本應(yīng)經(jīng)過(guò)里德先生同意，成為或者爭(zhēng)取成為荷花俱樂(lè)部的一名保守會(huì)員。我本應(yīng)定居下來(lái)，像你們這里的某些愛(ài)國(guó)者一樣過(guò)安全平靜的生活，不說(shuō)任何無(wú)禮的話。我本應(yīng)講究“客套”。我本應(yīng)向人敬煙，也許周末晚上，我要開(kāi)瓶香檳酒，款待我的朋友。但是事實(shí)并非如此。我離開(kāi)紐約去了西班牙，接著阿散蒂戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)爆發(fā)了；而我又一次吉星高照，我比其他人更早獲得締結(jié)和約的消息，而當(dāng)我從阿散蒂戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)去英格蘭時(shí)，在圣文森特島收到電報(bào)說(shuō)利文斯通已謝世。我說(shuō)：“這消息對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)意味著什么？紐約人不相信我，我怎么才能證明我說(shuō)的話是真的？確實(shí)難呀！我要去完成利文斯通的未竟之業(yè)，我將證明我發(fā)現(xiàn)利文斯通算不了什么，我要向紐約人證明我是一個(gè)出色的人，是真正的人?！边@就是我之所求。
我將利文斯通的遺體護(hù)送到了威斯敏斯特教堂，看著遺體下葬，而在16個(gè)月前分別時(shí)，他還生機(jī)勃勃，滿懷希望?！睹咳针娪崍?bào)》老板打電報(bào)給貝內(nèi)特說(shuō)：“你是否同意我們共同派遣斯坦利去完成利文斯通未竟的探險(xiǎn)？”貝內(nèi)特在紐約接到電文，沉思片刻，拿起一張白紙寫道：“同意。貝內(nèi)特?！蹦蔷褪俏业氖姑覄?dòng)身去非洲意欲完成利文斯通的探險(xiǎn)任務(wù)，還要解開(kāi)尼羅河之謎，弄清尼羅河的源頭在哪里，維多利亞湖僅由一個(gè)湖泊、一個(gè)水體構(gòu)成還是由若干淺湖組成；弄清塞繆爾·貝克爵士發(fā)現(xiàn)的阿伯特湖；還要找到坦噶尼喀湖的出口，然后找出那條誘使利文斯通走上死亡之路的奇怪、神秘的河流是尼羅河，尼日爾河，還是剛果河？《亞洲之光》作者埃德溫·阿諾德說(shuō)：“您認(rèn)為能辦到這么多事嗎？”“請(qǐng)不要問(wèn)我諸如此類難以回答的問(wèn)題，拿出資金來(lái)，命令我出發(fā)。就這樣?！笔前⒅Z德勸說(shuō)勞森老板同意，拿出了錢，我就這樣走了。
首先我們解決維多利亞湖是不是一個(gè)水體的問(wèn)題，它不是由一串淺湖或者沼澤地組成，而是一個(gè)水體，面積約21500平方英里。在探查塞繆爾·貝克發(fā)現(xiàn)的阿伯特湖時(shí)，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)比阿伯特湖大得多的新湖（洛卡斯特死湖）。與此同時(shí)，戈登·帕夏派他的副官繞阿伯特湖探查一圈，結(jié)果傷心地發(fā)現(xiàn)其周長(zhǎng)僅140英里，因?yàn)樨惪嗽鴿M懷熱情地站在高原之巔俯瞰阿伯特湖深藍(lán)的湖水，夸張地驚叫：“我看到它往西南無(wú)限延伸！”先生們，無(wú)限不是一個(gè)地理詞語(yǔ)。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)坦噶尼喀湖雖然是淡水湖，卻沒(méi)有出口；我們解決了這個(gè)問(wèn)題后，就夜以繼日地沿著那吸引利文斯通走上絕路的神秘的河順流而下，想起利文斯通在其最后一封信中寫道： “我不會(huì)為任何不及尼羅河古老的河流去冒成為黑人口中之食的危險(xiǎn)?！蔽覀兒屠乃雇ㄒ粯討延性S多疑問(wèn)。
旅行400英里之后，我們來(lái)到斯坦利瀑布，從瀑布這邊，看到那條河偏離流向尼羅河的方向而朝西北流淌。然后它折向西，此時(shí)我們腦海中出現(xiàn)堡壘、城鎮(zhèn)以及奇異的部落和奇特的民族的幻象。河流突然往西南轉(zhuǎn)彎，我們不知道將會(huì)見(jiàn)到什么，我們的夢(mèng)想也結(jié)束了。然后我們看到河流徑直向剛果河流去。我們路遇一些土著，給他們看緋紅色的念珠和精美的金屬絲，對(duì)他們進(jìn)行撫慰并說(shuō)道：“我們拿這些來(lái)?yè)Q你們的回答。這是什么河？”“噢，當(dāng)然它是河?！贝鸱撬鶈?wèn)，看來(lái)必須給頭人作些開(kāi)導(dǎo)，讓他逐步開(kāi)竅，最后終于使他聲音洪亮地說(shuō)道：“這是科托亞剛果?！薄斑@是剛果河”，主呀！美夢(mèng)成真了！是希羅多德傳說(shuō)中的克洛菲泉和莫菲泉！是法老之女發(fā)現(xiàn)摩西時(shí)的河岸！這就是暴發(fā)戶般的剛果！我們隨之慢慢漂流了約1，100英里，途經(jīng)奇特民族和食人生番居住的地方（沒(méi)有遇見(jiàn)頭生在腋下的民族），直抵那條河的環(huán)形外延部分，最后剩下來(lái)一直陪伴我的旅伴稱它為“斯坦利水塘”。5個(gè)月之后，我們的旅行結(jié)束了。