Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-03
Narratite of an African Explorer
Adventures Among GOriIIRS aud
PiEmies-MarVeIOns Stories by Du
EINnfUUn


Narratite of an African Explorer
Adventures Among GOrilIRS aud
PiGmies-MarVeIOnS Stories by Du
ChaiIIu.
NJ. Du Chaillu, the African traveller,
whose recent expedition from the west
coast of Africa to the hitherto unexplored
interior was not completed on account of
a fight between his black attendants and
the native tribes, delivered an address on
the sth inst. before the Royal Geographic
cal Society in London. Il large audience
was present, among them many eminent
scientific men.
In reviewing the earlier part of his jour
ney, that described in his volume already
published N. Du Chaillu said that when
his party reached Oiinda the old King was
very friendly to him, and called him his
Sweetheart" Still, he was so exaeting
in his demands that II. Du Chaillu told
him he thought he loved his goods most.
The chief replied that he "loved both"
Laughter Here he had numerous offers
Of marriage from the native ladies, all
dressed in their best, but the whole were
respectfully declined. From this place he
visited the Bakalai Falls, under difficult
ties, and had an adventure with gorillas
on the road. At the time he was unwell,
and not strong enough TO carry his gun.
Thus unarmed, he was walking in advance
Of his party, when he heard a noise among
the trees, and came upon ten gOrillns eat
ing beriie They quickly made for the
ground and ran away, except one old
male, who came toward him to know what
was the matter, giving at the same time
q load roar. The approach of his men
frightened the animal, which then ran
away.
He therefore had reason to modify some
of the opinions expressed in his book, and
he believed that gorTillas are sometimes
gregarious. His negroes captared a full
grown female, which they kept for several
days, but the whole ofthem wa very much
frightened at it. Ho had four live ones
il his possession as different times. He
saw nothing TO retract resi- g ting their
habits from what he had previously stated.
A very curious custom prevails. When
a person dies they cut off his head and put
it in n box, surrounded with clay or chalk,
the whole Of which is saturated as the
head decays. The descendants of the de-
ceased rub his body with this clay or
chalk, praying to his ancestors at the same
time to give him luck. When he receives
a guest and wants to make a great friend
of himJhe goes to the place where the
heStlkOf the relatives are kept, scratches a
bitDf the skull of one of his ancestors,
ana puts this bone powder in the dish ill.,
tended for his friend. who having eaten of
it becomes one blood with himself, there
fore he must love him truly, open his heart
and give him whatever he desires. He
NJ. du Chaillu) might have eaten Il little |
Of that bone powder himself, but he hoped
that he had not. Laughter.
The Napono tribes, whom he next
visited, were Il very warlike people, wear
ing iron swords, which they made them
selves, as the country contains ironstone, |
specimens of which he had brought to
England. The natives here are so quar-
relsome that he did not see t man who had
not some cuts about his body; moreover,
they are incorrigible drunkards. They
have three intoxicating liquors, made re-
speetively from the sugar cane, honey and
the sap of the palm-tree. The Napono
people treated him well, never took any
thing from him, and he had nothing to say
them. From here the country
rises rapidly-mountains, mauntains, and
nothing but mountains, up and down for
months. One village is reached from an
other by 8 path through the forest, and
the said path cannot be left. He believed
the whole of Africa could be traversed by
little paths, and in the direction he
iourneyed they took a tolerably straight
inc.
The villages are large. sometimes con-
a thousand people, but situated a
considerable distance apart. The people
are divided into clans, very much like the
Scotch-only a man belongs to his moth
er's clan, not to his fathers. At Mokena,
in the sugur country, people make very
good cloths some of the natives dress
fashionahly, swing their arms aristocratic-
ally, and are perfect handles. The cloth
is very good, much better than that OBJ
from Manchester-not that Man
chester does not make good cloth, but the
best Of it is never seen by the natives
.laughterl-aHd not sold in Africa.
In the Ashangi country he saw little
four feet high, forming villages, gen.
uninhabited, because the dwarfs
who sometimes live in them lead a wan
gypsy life. The aborigines seem to
'egard these dwarfs with superstitious
1--WE, and he could get few opportunities 10
them. The women were less I
lfraid of him than the men. who ran away;
o OIL n occasion he had an opportunity
# measuring them, and he found the .
height of the women TO be four I
eet four inches to four feet FIVE inches.
The Annual Meeting of the Muskingum :
Bible Society took place at Zanes- i.
lille recently. There were reported IN the !
ounty fourteen township societies in eff !
lent working order. Financially. last !,