{"id":228,"date":"2025-07-28T12:33:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T11:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/word\/?p=228"},"modified":"2025-07-28T12:33:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T11:33:37","slug":"when-i-first-met-the-two-explorers-they-were-walking-along-the-bank-of-the-river-toward-my-boats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aberth.com\/samuelwhitebaker\/when-i-first-met-the-two-explorers-they-were-walking-along-the-bank-of-the-river-toward-my-boats\/","title":{"rendered":"When I first met the two explorers they were walking along the bank of the river toward my boats"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first met the two explorers they were walking along the bank of the river toward my boats. At a distance of about a hundred yards I recognized my old friend Speke, and with a heart beating with joy I took off my cap and gave a welcome hurrah! as I ran toward him. For the moment he did not recognize me. Ten years’ growth of beard and mustache had worked a change; and as I was totally unexpected, my sudden appearance in the centre of Africa appeared to him incredible. I hardly required an introduction to his companion, as we felt already acquainted, and after the transports of this happy meeting we walked together to my diahbiah, my men surrounding us with smoke and noise by keeping up an unremitting fire of musketry the whole way. We were shortly seated on deck under the awning, and such rough fare as could be hastily prepared was set before these two ragged, careworn specimens of African travel, whom I looked upon with feelings of pride as my own countrymen. As a good ship arrives in harbor, battered and torn by a long and stormy voyage, yet sound in her frame and seaworthy to the last, so both these gallant travellers arrived at Gondokoro. Speke appeared the more worn of the two; he was excessively lean, but in reality was in good, tough condition. He had walked the whole way from Zanzibar, never having once ridden during that wearying march. Grant was in honorable rags, his bare knees projecting through the remnants of trousers that were an exhibition of rough industry in tailor’s work. He was looking tired and feverish, but both men had a fire in the eye that showed the spirit that had led them through.<\/p>\n

They wished to leave Gondokoro as soon as possible, en route for England, but delayed their departure until the moon should be in a position for an observation for determining the longitude. My boats were fortunately engaged by me for five months, thus Speke and Grant could take charge of them to Khartoum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first met the two explorers they were walking along the bank of the river toward my boats. 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