The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1867-05-30
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AFRICAN CANNIBALS.

Mr.. Charles Livingstone, Her Majes-
ty's Consul in the Blight of Biafra, sends
to the Foreign Office the following mar
rativc Of his interview with the King
of the Okrika country, in July, with a
view tC terminate war between that coun-
try and New Calabar the Consul was
accompanied by three chiefs of Bonny,
"Op Okrika, the chief town, IS built
on a dry ridge, part OF which is adorn
ed with magnificent :recs. A stockade,
through which peep some guns, defends
tho water front of the town, which
seemed longer than Grand Bonny -
Dense masses Of people crowded the
beach at the puolic landjng-place. The
Bonuy chiefs, Prince George, Banigo,
Calendusi, landed, but We remained in
the boats until they had seen the King.
In 15 minutes they returned and 6eckcn,
ed us to land. The stencil was terrible :;
all the stinks at the outskirts of all the
African villages | ever entered, though
mixed ard shaken together, would be
weak compared to this. After passing
through the crowd, we met some fel-
lows who tried to stop us, 1t was con-
trary to juju for white men to enter the
town. The bonny chiefs scolded, and
we pushed on, but soon met a mob of
hundreds, and further progress was i'm,
possible. In vain did Banigo and Ca.
lendussi scold and push, and even knock
some down ; the others pressed closer
together, shouting, barking, and gestic>
ulating frantically. After looking at
the performance until we got tired OF it,
We returned to the boats. 4 canoe came
off with two messengers from the King
inviting US to come ashore. Guards
armed with long sticks at the corners Of
the streets, and the town was quietl
We were conducted to the Kings
audience chamber, which had no
light except what came in by the
door. Chairs were brought, and
the chiefs and others crowded in. A
beating of drums announcing that the
King had gone to the juju house to con.
suit the spirits before proceeding to
business. In half an hour King Fibia
appeared, a strongly built man of 45,
with a round eood>natured looking face.
He shook hands and ana sat down on a
low stool in a corner. Apologizing for the
rude reception his people had given us,
he asked Us to remain till the following
day, as some Of his chiefs had not yet
arrived from their villages. A table of
home manufacture was brought in, the
Queen spread a tablecloth over it, and
3 tombo (unintoxicating wine) was
presented. Permission to see the town
was given, and we paid visit to the
juju house ; a noisy crowd attempted
to rush in after us, but vigorous ap-
plication of the long sticks of the guards
drove them back, Masses Of humane
skulls hang from the walls, and numer,
GUS rows of skulls cover the roof of a sort
of altar. In front ofthis altar sat the juju.
man, having footstool of human skulls.
The Okrika had eaten the victims
whose sknlls decorate the clubhouse,
An old man who accompanied us spoke
with evident gusto of the different cam
hibal feasts he had partaken of, men
toned the part of the human body
which he considered the sweetest. 1t
is the first time l have seen canuibals in
Africa. We saw men at work tarring
ropes others rerailed gin in the streets
by the wineglass, We had glimpse
Of the Okrika funeral ceremony. Three
young men, facing the same way, had
the corpse of a boy done up in mating
on their shoulders. They twisted and
tuggod, and appeared as if struggling
with some unseen spirits who wished
to drag thebody to shallow open grave
by the side ola house, AZ times the