Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-08
THE CANNIRALS.
A wonderful Narrative by Mons. D a
ChaIIIu. the African Explorer.

a wonderful Narrative by Mons. Du
ChaIIIu. the African Explorer.
From the New York World. Feb. q.
Last evening, at Steinwsy Hall, NJ. Du-
Chaillu, the celebrated African traveller and
hunter, gave an account of his adventures
among the Fans, a cannibal tribe Of Africa,
discovered by him during has explorations
Of that continent A little after eight NJ.
Du Cbaillu entered and made bis bow. He
ia a small-sized, dark compleXioned, gen
-lemanly man, and spoke with a French
accent, and not very fuently, but in a sim
pie, direct and pleasing manner. After
Introductory remarks, explaining how
he came 70 visit the country OF the Fans,
he said
Il never before cav such Wild men. They
were all armed 20 the teeth with spears,
poisoned arrows aud knives. Their bodies
were tattooed all over, their teeth were
dyed black, and they looked more like
ghouls than men. On the ground we're the
skulls Of dead men, and bones we're scat
tered ali through the streets. The women
were the ugliest / ever saw, and we're
much emaller than the men. The King
did not want TO see me, being afraid that
he should die il lie saw a spirit The men
did not seem afraid, bat the women did. 1
saw one Of the latter run into one Of the
huts with the leg of a man iust cut off.
This made me feel uncomfortable, and my
only consolation was that | was very thin
aud not worth much for eating. At length
the King came 20 me, surrounded by his
warriors. He was dressed with the skins
Of wild beasts, and held a spear in his
hands He looked at me with wonder, and
/ did the same with him. He said he was
not afraid of me when surrounded by has
warriors. puta bold face on il, and said
spirits were never, afraid also. They gave
nae hut to sleep in, but / did not sleep
that niFht-the woman with the leg de-
pressed my spiritl In the morning when
1 arose and went ont al the back door, |
met with a grand reception. Cannibals
from every part OF the country had come
% see me. They got accustomed 10 me in
time asd 10 them, aud we became the
hest friends. After a few days the Queen
came to see me. She was a lovely creature
teeth sharpened to point body tattooed
al over. Cooked plantains were brought
10 me 10 eat l told them ! never ate
cooked food for | was afraid that mems
flesh had been cooked in the same pot be-
fore. The cannibalism Of the people is Of
the worst kind. They eat the bodies, not
of their enemies only, but also Of their own
people. A man, however, does not eat the
body Of one OF HE own family, but fam
lies exchange their dead with each other.
la one case that | knew Of corpse Eve
days dead, wac sold for food. They like
their game high They al sgree that
woman is tenderer than a man--not the
heart merely, bat the whole body, BOYS,
also, are tender, bat old men very tough.
| myself could see no difference in the APP
pearance Of the flesh Of the men and that
Of the gorilla, except that il was little
finer in texture.
But in spite Of their cannibalism, they
are in many respects The finest tribe in that
country. Their houses are bniIt low, not
more than five feet in height, on account of
the tornados. The walls are made of the
bark of trees they have little door in
front and a back door, but no window.
Polygamy is common among them, and the
more wives a man has the happier be
seems % be Slavery is known hnt IL not
mach practiced, because men are scarce
aud they prefer 10 eat them rather than
make slaves Of them. They work iron in
the most beautiful manner, make knives.
pears and very sharp axes. They are ex
ceedingly given 90 fighting, hence their
f0ndness OF working in iron, ana their ex-
pertness at H. Nothing from the coast
reaches them, except few beads aud
pieces Of copper. They cover the handles
of their knives with the skin taken from
the bodies OF men. Ca parting lde King
made me present OF one Of th'sse 4; had
belonged 10 his father, and WIS covered |
with hnman skin
One day as / was living IA a forest, / got |
walked up BY an army of bashiQnas-a |
strange kind Of ant / was so much bitten |
by them that / was half dead. An ante
lope had been killed the day before by |
King Bongo, which had intended to eat.
But il was now covered with, oh millions
Of ants They are the most wonderful in
sects in the forest They are the plague
and dread Of every living thing. When |
they attack a village, the people have TO
light fires, pour hot water, around, and
strew burning ashes around, 10 get rad Of
these little beasts They are really won
derful-always in single line, and some
times the line ia miles upon miles in
length. The line is generally two inches
in breadth, and there are officers through.
ont the entire length keeping watch, 80
that none OF these ants get out OF line.
v atched line passing one particular spot,
and it was twelve hours before the last Of
those ants had passed. And as they go
through the forest, az a certain signal they
spread themselves out and attack every
thing that comes oct 10 their way. They
will even so TO the tops Of trees and the !