Sokoto defeated Argungu. Monteil journeyed from Sokoto to the important trading center of Kano, then via Hadejia to Lake Chad. On 9 April 1892 he reached Kuka on the shore of the lake, where he was met by a group of 150 cavalrymen arrayed in colorful costumes, with their horses dressed in padded caparisons. The horsemen charged him with spears leveled, stopping at the last minute, a sign of respect and also a test of courage. He exchanged courtesies with the Sultan of Bornu, and was his guest for several months while he explored the country around the lake – and while the Sultan tried to extract gifts in exchange for a safe conduct. When finally allowed to depart, he traveled northward across the Sahara to Tripoli, reaching the Mediterranean on 10 December 1892. His journey had done much to clarify for Europeans, and for France in particular, the geography and politics of the region. Within 15 years, almost all the territory Monteil had visited was firmly under colonial control. Later career After Monteil's return to France, in 1893 the Société de géographie awarded him the Grand Gold Medal for his book recording the journey. The successful expedition across West Africa impressed the statesman Théophile Delcassé, who took Monteil to meet the President of France, Sadi Carnot on 4 May 1893. Carnot wanted Monteil to undertake an expedition to Fashoda on the upper Nile, but on 30 May Delcassé sent him to the French Congo to reinforce Haut-Oubangui (now the Central African Republic) against Belgian intrusions. He arrived at the port of Luango on 24 August 1894, planning to travel first to Ubangi and then onwards to the Nile. Before starting for the interior, however, he was urgently reassigned to the Ivory Coast to help deal with the threat from the imam-warrior Samori Ture. In September 1894 he directed an expedition into Baoulé country in the Ivory Coast, reaching Tiassalé in December before being turned back by fierce opposition north of the city. The Governor of French Sudan, Albert Grodet, took some of the blame for the fiasco. Later, Monteil tried without success to enter politics, and was involved in colonization of the south of Tunisia. He died at Herblay, Seine-et-Oise in 1925. Selected works Notes References Further reading École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni Explorers of Africa Explorers from Paris 1855 births 1925 deaths Military personnel from Paris Members