ABSTRACT
In character, Henry Morton Stanley was possibly the most complex of the explorers of Africa. Stanley and his three white companions went down with fever, while sickness spread among the carriers and there were numerous desertions. Stanley's methods for dealing with the problems were draconian: floggings were commonplace and any recaptured deserters were put in irons, with the result that despite all the difficulties, the expedition eventually made good progress. After leaving Boma, Stanley travelled back via the Cape to Zanzibar, where he paid off the survivors of his expedition and compensated the relatives of those who had died. Worse than the controversy, however, from Stanley's point of view, was that despite all his lobbying, there remained a total lack of interest in Britain at the prospect of acquiring the Congo basin. In June 1878, therefore, Stanley went to Belgium and met Leopold.
