The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1852-02-28

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dam kicked aud s.est fallen fsien nov ouee anss.
invested with the royal robes. aud walking ~ish
the proud con n.cenceness that l,s was agsm him
sell, and monarch Of ali he surveyed Had hsgi.
ven us the least sign OF encnars cement We should
have relieved our awe STRICKEN hearts with ~
most ample apology, and probably hsn,ful of
tobacco but iro~nIng only rs king can frswn
he swep, by On his way home. without dsisnusg
US the least notice. After such ascbuG, il wuasd
have been labor lost to proceed any farther, go.
ai'er a short consultation We tun,d als'ut and
reraced our steps towards the boat around wh,rh
on our arrival We found large crowd of natives
collected, but they offered 40 i,npsdiment TO uur
free passage, con;enting themselves with salky
looks and trea,eling gestures. have no doubt
that they would have attempted some act ofopen
hostility OF robbery, had they not seen tha, W.
were well armed and prepared for any such de-
munstralon; although, To tell the Truth, We slpvld
hot have had the smallest Chince at. escape. had
they known their strength aud exeried il, fer
suppose there WAS at least fonr hundred OF them.
bg strapplrs fellows, against whom six white
men could have done Tut little in a cub6ght.
these natives, and 10 ftet nearly all the natives
along the coast, unerstand slearnls passably
well, and are IN the daily use Of thcm ia their
hunts and wars but II is II remarkable fact that
a mu'ket in the hands Of whte man is to them
an object of the greatest terror and alarm, anda
mos, as much novelty as when first btoui,ht
among them. Ills arises from their great infvli.
ority IN the use Of gun which they see aIld feel
and so flr is it Acknowledged that when twatiib,s
are going TO war with each other il one ef them
can obtain the services Of sne of the white slaycrs
or traders with gun and it becomes kre~n 10
the other, II Is equivalent TO victory without
blordshed on the part Of the fortunate possessors
ni the white ally, and treaty OF peace is n,ade
as expeditiou,ly as possible
There is very little difference in the manner Of
dressing amoung the Coneocs, compared with the
natives Of other tribes and they have many of
the same customs and traditions, but their faith
III chatns and feiishes* exceed. any thing |
ever saw IN oarbar0us nation they even mu,i'
late their bodies and limbs sonnet imss in sheck.
ing manner to render them fetish Some Of them
/ saw who had parted win one, Two. and three
fngers Others had sacrificed toe or two ard
nearly all of them had lost several teeth, besides
having the others filed ike saw. and had PAIN
ted and lattooed their faces and bodies in a moat
/ irightlul manner. Singular exception to the otl-
or tribes On this part OF the coast no traces now
! appear 20 exist among the Cungoes Of the Catho
/ lIr religion, which was forced uy0n them when
/ the Portuguese first discovered this river, and
! made most strenuous eif rts through the JeSut-
! to convert the natives 1t is the most remarka-
/ BILE from The fact, that th.re ere at one time re-
sident Portuguese priests and missionaries on the
river in the ad accent country, who il s said, per
suadcd seventy kings and queens, with Their ir,bcs
{ or the greater portion Of them 10 emh,ace tie
! Catholic religion Since then. tie Europeans
who have visited the Congo for trading purposes
have themselves been Catholics, ii her Portuguese
OF Splnlards, who it is natural to suppose, would
viS tl,,i, l,i,, auIv vii
/ ly disseminated among y people with whom they
were brought into such close connection in their
/ trading operations /; but as | have remarked, not
ayestige of Roman Cathnlicty or any other re-
gion now exists among them aud, from the great
unhealihiness OF the climate and gross ignorance
aud superstition Of the natives it viii fear, be
N my long years before the LIGHT Of the gnsl el
will bc She'd upon h' part Of bpnighted AlIica
The slave stations on the Congo are some distance
farther up the river, and in their vicinity are u
numher oftrading factories, all owned by Portu-
guese and Eraziliaus, who monnpoze the trade.
both in slaves and articles Of frcan produce, such
Is camwood, gums, elephants teeth palm oil, etc.
The natives along the whole course Of the river,
So far have been able to learn, are similar IN
appearance and habits 10 those we saw at ihl,
town. and now that it appears to he settled
point that the Congo river has no connection what.
WV "''h VIC many anu "'S'''""' H's'''
about which there has been such useless waste o
of live and money in times gone by for new iniur-
nation in relation to this river, if indeed any il
ever obtained, We shall be Indebted soltlyt 10 the
slave merchant or tradef who for the !us, of Soa,
has the courage to brave the deadly climate IL,
lts factory. Al daylight, on the tenth Of Noveni-
ber, We got under weigh and left the CongA.
The breeze was very light, but the strong cGrant
swept us down tue river and into the open sea
as quickly as il we had been ecudlng before n
, gale Of wind; and taking fine wind outside, We
had quick nm ~ to Cabeudn, distance of for-
ty five miles, and came to on anchor early in the
afternoon, finding nothing in The ha' Dor but two
French brig: ot.war.
'FErIsH, sa word olmo uu,miIsdin IL defini-
: tons. They ca!i their god Fet st Al Linds ORE
.g!ous ceremonies urr adlu be fetish.