4 THE EXPLORATION OF THE NIGER

struggle must cost bloodshed, but that bloodshed will

increase the future harvest. ' '

It is altogether different, however, with an exploring expedition. Its mission is not to dictate, but to persuade —not to conquer, but to reconnoitre. This, however, scarcely lessened the difficulty of our task. In a new

country, ignorance alone, rather than actual ill-will founded on serious reasons, is enough to make the natives hostile. They look upon the traveller as a malevolent intruder,

a sorcerer, a devil. They want to hinder his progress, to make him turn back, and when they despair of doing that

they try to pillage and to destroy him.

Weapons of precision, discipline, a single blow may perhaps sometimes break through the obstacle, and the

traveller will pass on. But afterwards ?

Afterwards, the road will be closed before him. One

tribe after another will rise, and if the explorer has any armed followers, it will be with him as it was with Stanley

in his blood-stained course, the path behind him will be marked by corpses.

Afterwards, moreover, the road behind him will also be

barred — closed for long years to every pacific attempt. This sort of thing means, in fact, difficulties increased, sometimes indeed rendered positively insurmountable to

those who would resume or complete the task begun.

True, I cannot claim to have left behind me tribes

entirely devoted to us, or districts completely won over to our ideas, to which France has but to send her traders and

her directors ; but I think 1 can say that where our passage did nothing to ameliorate the situation, it at least made it

no worse ; and of this I am proud.

Briefly stated, what we did on our expedition was, to

ascend the Senegal, reach the Niger at its highest navigable

point, and go down it to the sea.